Elizabeth Martin: The Year of Decisions
by Kris Pilar
Summary: Elizabeth Martin, still reeling from the death of her aunt, is now also dealing with the changes the Wizarding World is going through now that Lord Voldemort's return can no longer be denied. Her sixth year at Hogwarts is approaching and things are already proving very different at the school she's so fond of.
1. Dark Times

_**A/N:**_ Here begins the sixth year of Elizabeth Martin's story. I have a buffer built and I plan to update every Wednesday for right now, so I hope you all enjoy. I have a lot in store for this story.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing of J.K. Rowling's.

* * *

 _ **Chapter One:**_

 _ **Dark Times**_

The young girl was shaking as she stared at the small article in the corner of the _Daily Prophet_. Her bowl of cereal forgotten next to her as she ran a hand through her mousy-brown hair, her gray eyes scanning over the words printed in black again, hoping they'd have somehow changed:

 _In the early hours of yesterday morning, Amelia Bones—Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and respected member of Wizengamot—was found dead in her home. After not reporting for work, fellow member of the Ministry and close friend, Thomas Rhode, paid a visit to Madam Bones' home in London._

" _It's just not like her to not show up for work," Mr. Rhode commented when asked about what he saw, "When I went to find her...Well, it doesn't really need explaining, does it?"_

 _There were signs of a duel in Madam Bones' home and it is clear that she put up a strong fight against her attacker. With the evidence of the Dark Mark above the home, Aurors are now looking for the Death Eater, or Death Eaters, responsible for this attack._

"Poor Susan..." Elizabeth Martin muttered, staring at the small article. Elizabeth had known Susan practically her entire life and they were good friends, even roommates at Hogwarts. Susan talked about her "Auntie Amelia" often and Elizabeth knew they'd been close.

"What about Susan?" Grace, Elizabeth's mother, asked as she looked up.

"Her Aunt Amelia was killed," Elizabeth said softly.

Grace gave a heavy sigh, running a hand over her face. Her brown eyes were tired from her constant work at St. Mungo's and also now raising a toddler on top of everything. She shook her head, frowning deeply.

"I don't have to work today," she said, "Why don't we bundle up Ursula and pay the Bones a visit?"

Elizabeth nodded, thinking it would be a great idea. She knew all too well how hard it was losing an aunt as her own Aunt Ginger had died not too long before. In fact, that was the reason Grace and Elizabeth were taking care of Aunt Ginger's two-year-old daughter, Ursula.

After Aunt Ginger's death, her husband, Elizabeth's Uncle Xavier, had simply disappeared. This left little Ursula in the care of Grace and Elizabeth. The fact that Grace worked nearly every day had been a problem at first, especially since with how someone had managed to sneak in a deadly plant into the hospital at Christmas the year before. Grace didn't want Elizabeth and Ursula staying in the tea room as Elizabeth had done for years. Instead, Elizabeth and Ursula often spent the day at another of Elizabeth's friends' home, Ron Weasley. His mother was often very helpful with caring for a difficult toddler.

"I'll get Ursula ready," Grace said as she got up, "If you wouldn't mind cleaning up the dishes."

Elizabeth nodded again, gathering up the bowls and getting them washed before changing into a simple floral dress before meeting her mother in the sitting room. Grace was holding Ursula now, the toddler's dark eyes only half-open. She didn't seem too pleased with being woken up.

It was a quick Apparation trip to a Muggle alleyway near the flat that Susan Bones lived in with her parents. Elizabeth had been here plenty of times on play-dates before she began school at Hogwarts and it was a familiar walk into a four-story building and up the stairs. It was one of the few complexes that served only to wizarding families within London, so parents didn't have to worry about their children playing with magical toys in the hallways.

Now, however, the hallways were empty. A couple of doors cracked open slightly as Elizabeth and her mother passed and Elizabeth caught sight of small eyes peering out before parents came behind and closed the doors, blocking off views of their children. Things had changed drastically in just one short month, ever since the Ministry of Magic finally confirmed that Voldemort was rising to power again. People were far less likely to let their children play in the open or stay to chat to passerby.

At the top of the stairs on the second floor, Elizabeth and her mother nearly walked into two of the residents. One was a boy Elizabeth recognized from Hogwarts, though didn't know his name since he had left a couple years before. With him was someone Elizabeth hadn't expected to see: her brother Lewis.

Just the week before, Lewis had left after an argument that led to him blaming Elizabeth and her friend, Harry Potter, for Aunt Ginger's death. He hadn't spoken a word to Elizabeth or Grace since then.

"Oh, Lewis!" Grace said, adjusting Ursula in her arms, "I didn't know you were here, how have—"

Grace didn't get to finish. Lewis pushed past them, heading on down the stairs without a word. The man with him called after him to wait up and followed.

Grace's expression fell and Elizabeth gripped her hands into fists. She had grown used to Lewis treating her like that over the past year—as much as she hated it still—but seeing him treat their _mother_ so disrespectfully was hard to take.

"Let's get going, Elizabeth," Grace said and Elizabeth could hear in her tone that her mother was forcing her voice to stay steady. That just only made her angrier at her brother. She wanted nothing more than to march downstairs and give Lewis a piece of her mind, but she held back. They were here to visit Susan.

As they made their way on up to the top floor, Elizabeth found herself wondering if Susan knew Lewis was living here as well now. After all, the two had dated for nearly a year before the Ministry's smear campaign against Harry had caused a rift between them.

When they reached the Bones' flat, Elizabeth knocked on the door and it was soon answered by a tall man with the same dark hair and eyes as Susan had.

"Hello, John," Grace said, "I hope you don't mind us just dropping by..."

"No, it's fine," Mr. Bones said, "Come on in, we just finished up breakfast."

Elizabeth followed her mother into the main room of the flat, where Mrs. Bones was cleaning up dishes from the kitchen and Susan—her long, dark hair pulled into a braid—was curled up on a couch with a book in her lap.

"Hello, Susan," Elizabeth said, coming over and sitting next to her, "I'm so sorry about your aunt..."

Susan frowned and Elizabeth realized her eyes were red. Elizabeth thought back to how often she cried in the first week since Aunt Ginger's death—and how she still found herself crying at random moments—and her heart went out to her friend. She put an arm around Susan comfortingly as Susan closed the book she'd been reading. Elizabeth glanced at the cover, which was of a man in a cloak, the hood pulled up so only part of his face was seen in the shadows as he kept glancing over his shoulder.

" _Shadowy Intentions_ ," Susan said, tapping the book, "Mum got it for me for my birthday. I've only recently started reading it, though."

"Is it good?" Elizabeth asked, looking over the cover again.

"So far it is," Susan said, "I think Niles Doge deserves the fame he's starting to get."

Niles Doge, a name Elizabeth recognized. With Voldemort's return no longer a secret, the _Daily Prophet_ jumped on any good news they could. Most authors wouldn't become such a minor celebrity after only one book, but Niles Doge had become something of a household name simply because he was one of the youngest authors in the Wizarding World, as he was barely a year out of Hogwarts when he published _Shadowy Intentions_.

"Reading helps take my mind off things," Susan said after a moment.

"I know," Elizabeth replied. She had first-hand experience of what Susan was going through—after all, she was still going through it herself. Keeping her mind off of what was going on helped a lot.

A door nearby creaked open and Elizabeth and Susan looked over to see a small girl with dark hair and bright blue eyes poked her head out, but when she saw her family had visitors, she disappeared into her room again. Susan sighed and shook her head, but Elizabeth couldn't help but smile as she leaned forward on the couch some.

"You'd think after all these years, Sarah would stop hiding from me," she said.

"Well, you haven't been around in a long time," Susan said, "Plus, she hides from _everyone_."

"How's she going to handle Hogwarts, then?"

Susan's smile faltered at that and she stared down at her book, running her finger along the edges.

"Mum's been talking about keeping us at home," she said softly. Elizabeth stared at her.

"What?" she asked in disbelief. Their fifth year had only ended a week ago. Mrs. Bones had to be overreacting over something.

"Because of what's going on," Susan said, "She's worried about us, especially Sarah. She'll be a first year, after all."

"But Hogwarts is a lot safer than here!" Elizabeth said, "Especially with Dumbledore there!"

"But it's not a fortress," Susan pointed out, "Mum keeps talking about all that's happened there. I mean, students getting Petrified in our second year—"

"No one was killed, though," Elizabeth cut in, "Everything turned out fine."

"Only after that Weasley girl was kidnapped," Susan said, "Then there's our third year with Sirius Black...It's still so strange to think he wasn't actually the one that killed all those Muggles years ago. I'm not sure I'd want to be around him either way."

Elizabeth bit her lip, fighting the urge to defend her friend. Explaining things about Sirius often got complicated and having to bring up things he didn't want to strangers to really know—like the fact he was an Animagus.

"Then there's everything with the Triwizard Tournament and Cedric, and what happened to you and your friends last month..."

Elizabeth had no argument for that one. It was hard to defend Hogwarts as a safe school when a student had been killed, or a group of students had sneaked away and got into a fight with Death Eaters.

"Those...Didn't exactly happen _at_ Hogwarts," Elizabeth tried weakly anyway.

"Mum doesn't see the difference," Susan said, sighing, "Dad and I are trying to convince her we need the education at Hogwarts. Learning there gives us a lot more than learning at home and I need all the advantages I can get for N.E.W.T. exams if I want to be a Curse Breaker."

"Ron's older brother, Bill, was a Curse Breaker," Elizabeth said, "He works a desk job at Gringotts now. Maybe I can talk to him and he can talk to your parents. I'm sure he could explain that Gringotts prefers workers with a formal education rather than home education."

"Thanks," Susan said with a small grin, "I really do want to go back to Hogwarts, despite everything."

"The Hufflepuff common room wouldn't be right without you," Elizabeth grinned back. "Who would keep everyone in line?"

Susan laughed a little.

"You'd think I was the prefect, not you or Ernie."

"We just don't have your persuasive skills," Elizabeth said.

It was a good afternoon, chatting with Susan and her family. Every now and then, the subject started to drift to Amelia Bones and Aunt Ginger, sharing family stories and remembering the good things about their fallen family members, but for the most part they tried to keep the subject away. Instead, they focused mainly on talking about the latest gossip from _Witch Weekly_ or the upcoming new author Niles Doge. Susan and Elizabeth spent nearly an hour cheerfully arguing with Susan's father about the Montrose Magpies' chances in the Quidditch league this year compared to the Pride of Portree. The entire time they were there, however, Sarah never came out of her room except to get herself a sandwich around lunch and she instantly disappeared from sight again before Elizabeth could even tell her hello.

Elizabeth and her mother stayed most of the day, but as the sky began to grow dark outside the window, Grace began to gather Ursula's things again and said that they should get going.

"Thank you again for having us," Grace said, "Especially since we showed up so unexpectedly."

"We welcome the company," Mr. Bones said, "Come by again whenever you wish."

"We'll see if I get the chance," Grace gave a sigh as she handed Elizabeth the bag of Ursula's things, then picked up the toddler herself, "Work has been keeping me very busy."

"I'd imagine," Mrs. Bones said with a frown, "Things aren't quite what they used to be."

"No, they're not," Grace shook her head, "We should get going, however. Goodbye."

Elizabeth bade Susan goodbye as well, saying she'd get in touch soon, then she left the complex with her mother. They made their way back out to the alleyway they arrived in and quickly Apparated home.

"I should get Ursula to bed," Grace said, "And then get some sleep myself. I have to be at work early tomorrow, so you shouldn't stay up too late."

"We're going to the Burrow again, right?" Elizabeth asked. Grace nodded. Elizabeth didn't mind, however. Spending her days with her friend, Ron Weasley, and his family was nice. She just wished Hermione and Harry were there as well—though Ron said they should both be coming to stay relatively soon.

Elizabeth bade her mother goodnight, then headed on to her own room. She changed into a nightgown, then brushed through her hair as Cream jumped onto her bed. As Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed herself, something silver caught her eye on the floor by her nightstand and she bent down to pick it up, then felt a jab of guilt.

It was a silver braided bracelet, and Elizabeth recognized it as the one that Harry had given her for her last birthday, though the mouse charm that had once adorned it had broken off at some point. Elizabeth thought it might have been during the battle at the Department of Mysteries, she wasn't completely sure. Elizabeth hadn't noticed the mouse was gone until nearly a week later.

What worried Elizabeth was the fact that she hadn't been too upset at the loss of a charm her boyfriend had given her. She tried to pass it off as focused on her aunt's death, but now she seemed to worry more about what Harry would think of her losing the charm than the thought of not having it.

Elizabeth put the bracelet in the drawer of her dresser and sighed as she stretched out on her bed, petting Cream next to her. Things had been changing between her and Harry. They had been a good couple in the beginning, but it seems things fizzled out fairly quickly. Looking back, Elizabeth realized that very shortly after that kiss in the Owlery, they were right back to way things used to be. They were great friends, but she felt now that they should have stayed that way.

The problem was, Elizabeth was worried about bringing this up to Harry. After all, Harry was her best friend and she didn't want to lose that friendship. Still, she felt that they just weren't fitting as well as a couple the way they were in the beginning. She had no idea what she should do about it.

Elizabeth sighed. She wasn't going to figure this out tonight. She rolled over in her bed and pulled the covers up, much to the annoyance her of Siamese cat next to her, and closed her eyes. She'd worry about what to do with her relationship with Harry later. For now, she just needed to get to sleep.


	2. A Hard Choice

**_Chapter Two:_**

 _ **A Hard Choice**_

Elizabeth enjoyed the next week, staying at The Burrow during the day when her mother was working. It was nice getting to visit Ron and Ginny nearly every day, and now Hermione Granger as she'd come the day before to stay the summer. She liked the idea of spending the whole summer like this, except for one thing.

Her little cousin Ursula was living up to the phrase 'terrible twos' and Elizabeth was trying to take care of the girl on her own.

"Want ham!" Ursula said, pushing away her plate.

"These are what Mrs. Weasley made, Ursula," Elizabeth said with a low sigh, "You're going to have to deal with turkey."

"No, want ham!"

Elizabeth sighed again, pinching the bridge of her nose. Had she been this difficult as a toddler? If so, she owed her mother a lot of apologies.

"Do you need some help, Elizabeth?" Mrs. Weasley asked. She had just come into the kitchen from the garden outside, carrying a basket of freshly picked vegetables.

"That obvious?" Elizabeth asked with an awkward smile as Ursula pouted and shoved her plate away from her. She tried hard to take care of Ursula on her own, but she didn't have the knack for it that Mrs. Weasley did.

"I've raised seven children, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, "I know how to handle them at this age. Why don't you go outside and enjoy some fresh air? While you're out there you can tell Ginny she needs to come in and get one of the spare cots ready."

Elizabeth nodded, eager for a break. She'd been trying to take care of Ursula on her own and though she often had help from the Weasleys, she hadn't had an actual break even when her mother was off, except for that day they'd visited the Bones family. It would be nice to have some time without worrying about a two-year-old for a bit.

As Elizabeth came out into the garden, she saw Hermione—dark skinned and bushy haired—on a bench, feet pulled up so she was taking up the whole thing on her own, and reading a book. All that was visible of her was a mess of bushy brown hair. Ron and Ginny were flying above, tossing an apple back and forth. Elizabeth waved up to them and they both landed quickly.

"Mrs. Weasley wants you to go get a cot set up, Ginny," Elizabeth said, "She's taking care of Ursula to give me a break."

"Oh, yeah, I was supposed to get that cot ready for Helene..." Ginny said with a sigh, tossing back some of her long red hair.

"Helene's coming?" Elizabeth asked.

"Apparently, her family is visiting France," Ron—who was as red-haired as his sister—said, "She didn't want to go and Mum offered to let her stay with us while they're gone."

"She's supposed to be here sometime today," Ginny said, heading off towards the house, "Well, I'd better get that cot. Here's hoping I don't run into _Phlegm_."

"You should lay off her!" Ron called after his sister, though it seemed Ginny ignored him. Elizabeth couldn't blame her. She'd learned early in her visits to avoid Fleur Delacour whenever she was around. She was staying the summer because she and Bill were now engaged, which Elizabeth couldn't quite understand. Fleur seemed like a nice girl, but she tended to be...Well, annoying.

"Dumbledore is picking up Harry from the Dursleys tonight, isn't he?" Hermione asked, putting away her book. It was obvious she'd been waiting all day for a chance to talk to Ron and Elizabeth alone about this.

"Yeah," Ron said, plopping down onto the grass as Elizabeth went to the bench. Hermione swung her legs off the seat beside her so Elizabeth could sit down.

"Why d'you reckon Dumbledore is getting Harry himself?" Ron asked, "I mean, Dad or Mum could easily go pick him up, or Sirius. I'm sure he would have loved the chance."

"Maybe it has something to do with the prophecy?" Hermione guessed, "I know it was destroyed, but with the _Daily Prophet_ going on about Harry being this 'Chosen One'..."

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably. She'd been hoping to stay away from conversations about what happened little more than a month ago. Harry Potter had had a dream about his godfather, Sirius Black, being in trouble. Elizabeth had been having reoccurring nightmares all year and thought that they'd been about Sirius as well so they and several of their friends—Ron, Hermione, and Ginny included—went to the Ministry of Magic to save him. It had turned out to be a trap, and in the process Elizabeth's aunt, Ursula's mother, had been killed.

"Well, we can ask him tomorrow," Ron said in a whisper, dropping his voice because another visitor had come to The Burrow—Tonks, a former Hufflepuff and an Auror. Though Elizabeth didn't recognize her at first. Being a Metamorphmagus, Tonks often had her hair oddly vibrant colors—usually short and pink—but today, it was long, to her shoulders, and a brown color similar to Elizabeth's own. She gave the three a passing nod, but didn't say anything as she headed on into the house.

"I've never seen Tonks look so down," Elizabeth said with a frown, "What's going on?"

"We don't know," Ron shrugged, "I tried asking Mum, but she said it was none of our business. She's been that way for a couple of weeks."

Ron went off to go back to flying on his broom, leaving Elizabeth and Hermione in silence. Unfortunately, that just left Elizabeth with thoughts of her brewing problem. She knew she'd be seeing Harry again tomorrow after only a few weeks apart, but she didn't feel the sense if longing and excitement she thought she should. Harry was her best friend and boyfriend, yet she wasn't excited by the thought of seeing him, of giving him a tight hug that should last too long. She simply felt no different than her excitement in seeing Helene later. It was just more proof that her relationship with the boy who was supposed to be her boyfriend had drifted away from the romantic it should have been. She'd been dreading the day Harry would be around now, dreading having to deal with this face-to-face.

"Elizabeth? Are you okay?"

Elizabeth glanced to Hermione next to her. Ron had gone back to flying, throwing the apple and chasing it down on his own. Elizabeth sighed. Hermione was always so good at reading others.

"Just thinking," Elizabeth said softly, "About me and Harry."

"Looking forward to seeing him?"

"Not really," Elizabeth sighed, "I mean, of course I am, but not really in the way I should..." Elizabeth leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She could feel tears stinging her gray eyes, but blinked them back. "I've been thinking a lot the past couple of weeks. We started off okay, but lately, we...Well, we just don't act like a couple. It's like that spark we had is gone. I still care about him, but..."

"But you're not sure you want to keep dating him," Hermione finished softly. Elizabeth nodded, not quite looking at her friend. After a moment, she felt Hermione's arm around her shoulders. "You should talk to him when he gets here tomorrow."

Elizabeth looked up at Hermione, her eyes wide.

"What?" she asked, her voice squeaking slightly. Hermione sighed, but gave Elizabeth a patient smile.

"Elizabeth, if you and Harry aren't working as a couple, then you shouldn't keep going. If you talk now, settle things and end it, you can most likely keep the friendship you have. I'm sure you can. Ron and I will be by you and we'll talk to Harry if it comes to that. You won't lose us as friends. But if you force yourself to stay in a romantic relationship you're not happy with, it could ruin everything."

Elizabeth knew Hermione was right, but at the same time the idea of talking about this to Harry...

"What if it hurts him?" Elizabeth asked, staring back down at her hands, "He's got so much going on already..."

"And so do you," Hermione responded, "Just because Harry has a lot on him doesn't mean you don't as well. Personally, I think with everything going on with your family, you could do well with a break from romance. You can fully focus on helping your mother with Ursula."

Elizabeth felt her face grow red. Hermione always had a very blunt, matter-of-fact way of stating things, even if she was right. Elizabeth's life was a mess right now. She needed to hang onto friendships and not worry about having a boyfriend.

"Why don't you talk to him tomorrow?" Hermione asked, "Once he's gotten settled in. The best thing to do is get it done and over with, the earlier the better. You'll especially want this out of the way before school starts."

Elizabeth nodded. She hated this, but she knew Hermione was right. She'd have to talk to Harry tomorrow, in private. She was going to have to break up with him. She just hoped that they could remain friends.

By the time Ginny had come back down, there was a loud crack near the edge of the garden and Elizabeth saw two people coming—one a young man, one a girl of about fourteen, both with dark red hair. Elizabeth recognized them both instantly as Alain and Helene Pelland, two of her friends. Helene had even been with Elizabeth and the others when they'd made their ill-fated trip to the Ministry of Magic.

"Hi Helene!" Ginny hurried towards the gate, going to help Helene with the suitcase she had with her. Elizabeth went over as well, grinning at the siblings.

"You're staying 'ere, too?" Helene asked Elizabeth with her own grin.

"Only during the day," Elizabeth said, "Mum works a lot, so I'm here with my cousin so we don't have to stay at the tea room of St. Mungo's all the time."

"You're staying in my room with me and Hermione," Ginny told Helene, "Come on, we can let Mum know you're here."

Ginny led Helene off towards the house and Alain turned towards Elizabeth.

"It was nice to see you again, Eleezabet," he said, "And you, 'Ermione, Ron."

Ron, who had landed his broom, had come over with Hermione.

"It's nice to see you again, too," Hermione said, "Ginny said your family is going to France?"

"For a month, oui," Alain said, "We're going to visit Didi's family and some old friends."

Alain was grinning brightly at this and Elizabeth grinned a little herself. Didiane Dastrous was Alain's long-time girlfriend who had still been in France because she had to complete her last year at Beauxbatons, though her education was finished now. It was clear that, despite the year apart, Alain was still very much in love with his girlfriend. It honestly made Elizabeth a little jealous.

"Is she still moving here?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oui," Alain said happily, "She is actually moving down wiz us when we come back. She 'as a job lined up working at ze Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at ze Ministry of Magic."

"That's great!" Elizabeth said, "It'd be nice to finally meet her."

"We'll 'ave to arrange it before you go back to 'Ogwarts," Alain said, "She would—"

"Alain? Ees zat you?"

Hermione stifled a groan and Elizabeth bit her lip as she looked over to see Fleur Delacour had come out of the house and was grinning brightly. She hurried over, silvery blond hair flowing behind her, and kissed Alain on each cheek. "I saw 'Elene coming in and I zought zat maybe eet was your parents, 'ow are you?"

Elizabeth sometimes forgot that Fleur and Alain had to have been friends, as they'd come to Hogwarts together during the Triwizard Tournament. That and Fleur always seemed so flighty and a bit self-centered while Alain was always so warm, down to earth, and open.

Still, Elizabeth, Ron, and Hermione left the two former Beauxbatons students to talk and made their way back towards the Burrow, Ron staring back after Fleur a bit too long.

 **xxxxx**

As it was growing dark, Grace arrived at the Burrow to pick up Elizabeth and Ursula. With promises to be back the next day, Elizabeth headed out the door with her mother and cousin. Grace was working almost every day, after all. St. Mungo's was a lot busier than usual lately, especially with the flood of fake "protection items" that did more harm than good.

Once they were home, Elizabeth got Ursula changed and settled into bed, tucking her in.

"Want story!" Ursula said. Elizabeth grinned. Her cousin never wanted to go to sleep until a story had been read to her. Elizabeth went and grabbed a copy of the most common book in the Wizarding World: _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_. It was filled with children stories that Elizabeth grew up listening to and she knew most of them by heart, honestly, but Ursula liked the pictures and was picky about having the story actually read to her.

"Which one do you want to hear tonight?" Elizabeth asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Fountain!"

Elizabeth nodded, opening the book to _The Fountain of Fair Fortune_ , angling the book so Ursula could see the image of the three sisters and the knight in the story. Settling in, she began to read, making sure to create voices for the characters because what was a bedtime story without funny voices?

Elizabeth was barely halfway through the story before Ursula was fast asleep, so she put aside the book, readjusted her cousin's blankets, and headed out of the room. Her mother was waiting at the kitchen table with a couple mugs of tea. She was still wearing the lime green robes she wore to work and as Elizabeth sat down, she could see the dark lines under her mother's eyes.

"Another long day?" Elizabeth asked. Grace nodded.

"We had a guy come in covered in these tentacle warts," she said, taking a slow sip of her tea, "He apparently had a very bad reaction to those metamorph metals."

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. Most people only turned orange, but these fake protection items were still very dangerous. Mr. Weasley had his hands full trying to round them all up in his new job.

"How were things at the Burrow?" Grace asked, clearly not wanting to talk much about her day.

"About the same," Elizabeth said, "Mrs. Weasley helped me out when Ursula refused to eat lunch, and I talked with Ron and Hermione as usual. Harry is going to be there tomorrow and going to spend the summer, so is Helene."

"Well, that will be good," Grace said, "I'm sure you're looking forward to see them both again."

Elizabeth nodded, avoiding talking on it more by taking a long sip of her tea. She was sure she'd be breaking up with Harry, but she'd rather wait and talk to her mother about it after it happened. And when Grace wasn't exhausted from work.

"It's a shame you're working so much," Elizabeth said, "It'd be nice to have a couple of days just us and Ursula."

"I know, I know," Grace gave a sigh, "But I do have a few days off coming up. We'll spend it together, just enjoying ourselves."

Elizabeth grinned brightly at that.

"You won't be much good at work if you burn out and I can only get so far with Ursula." Elizabeth paused for a moment, staring down at her tea. "Have...you heard anything from him?"

"No," Grace said softly. Even with that one word, Elizabeth could hear the pain in her voice. Elizabeth was worried about Uncle Xavier, however. They didn't have any idea where he was. There had been no word from anyone they knew. Elizabeth often worried about him, wondering if he was okay and where he was now.

"Why don't you go on to bed?" Grace asked, "I'm sure your day's been as long as mine, and I know you're eager to see Harry tomorrow.

Elizabeth sighed, unable to argue. Sure, she was exhausted, but she wasn't all that thrilled to see Harry. Still, Elizabeth got up and went to her room, changing to pajamas and brushing through her mousy-brown hair before getting into bed. Her Siamese cat, Cream, jumped up and curled up by her pillow. She reached over and scratched the cat behind the ears.

"Looks like tomorrow's going to be hard," Elizabeth whispered to her cat. She wasn't looking forward to it at all, but Hermione was right. If she let a relationship she wasn't interested in continue, it would ruin their friendship. She was going to have to get her courage and go through with it. Hopefully, Harry would be understanding.


	3. Uneasy Conversations

**A/N:** I have an incredibly busy day awaiting me tomorrow and don't know if I'll get a chance to put this up, so enjoy a chapter a day early!

* * *

 ** _Chapter Three:_**

 ** _Uneasy Conversations_**

 _ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS_

 ** _Pass Grades_**

 _Outstanding (O)_

 _Exceeds Expectations (E)_

 _Acceptable (A)_

 ** _Fail Grades_**

 _Poor (P)_

 _Dreadful (D)_

 _Troll (T)_

 ** _Elizabeth Alexandra Martin has achieved:_**

 _Astronomy – P_

 _Charms – E_

 _Defense Against the Dark Arts – E_

 _Divination – P_

 _Herbology – E_

 _History of Magic – D_

 _Muggle Studies – A_

 _Potions – P_

 _Transfiguration – E_

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. She'd passed the classes she'd wanted to continue. Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, and Transfiguration were the ones she really wanted to focus on. She'd passed Muggle Studies, but she doubted she'd continue it. N.E.W.T. classes were going to be a nightmare and she didn't want to take on unnecessary classes.

Grace asked about Elizabeth's results and Elizabeth grinned a little as she held out the letter to her mother.

"Five O.W.L.s, not bad," Grace said as she looked over them, then frowned, "But a Poor in Potions...You won't be able to continue it..."

Elizabeth fidgeted a little. With everything that had happened, she'd never had a chance to talk to her mother about her change of heart in careers.

"It's fine," Elizabeth said, "I've been thinking more about getting a job at the _Daily Prophet_ once I leave school—"

"What?" Grace looked up quickly, "What happened to becoming a Healer?"

Elizabeth stared down at her bowl of corn flakes.

"I just don't think it's for me," she said, "Are...Are you upset?"

Grace was quiet for a moment, then sighed.

"No, I guess not," she said, "I should have known. You haven't been nearly as interested in my cases at work the last few years...But, a journalist, that's something! And you got five O.W.L.s. That deserves a celebration. I've got the next couple of days off of course, how about we just spend it together, enjoying ourselves? I think I can manage to get some tickets to the Quidditch match coming up, the Holyhead Harpies against Montrose Magpies. What do you say?"

Elizabeth grinned brightly. Time with her mother and Ursula sounded great—and it would also give her a break from Harry considering what she was planning to do when she saw him.

"That sounds perfect," she said, finishing off her breakfast, "I guess Ursula and I should get going to the Burrow or else you'll be late for work."

"Of course, come on," Grace said, getting to her feet.

When Elizabeth arrived at the Burrow, Sirius was already there, sharing some story about Hogwarts with Ginny and Helene over empty plates of breakfast. Since he'd been vindicated and could be out in the open freely, Sirius seemed a lot healthier and happier. He hadn't found a place of his own yet, so he was living with Remus Lupin, but he was often visiting the Burrow.

"Morning, Elizabeth," Sirius said, "Ron and Hermione just headed upstairs to give Harry a wake-up call. He arrived last night."

Elizabeth made herself grin, but she couldn't quite feel excited about it. Instead, she looked to where Mrs. Weasley was making up a breakfast tray. Probably for Harry.

"I need to take care of Ursula first," Elizabeth said, adjusting the toddler on her hip, "Then I'll head up. Good morning, Helene. Enjoying yourself?"

"Oui," the girl said brightly as she and Ginny got up, "'Ow about Ginny and me take Ursula? You can go on up."

"Nah, I got it," Elizabeth said. She'd take any chance to put off seeing Harry. As Elizabeth headed towards the sitting room, she saw Fleur had been reading. She looked up and grinned at Elizabeth.

"Oh, you brought ze baby again!" Fleur said happily, getting to her feet, "I 'eard 'Arry is 'ere, why don't you let me take 'er and you can go see 'im?"

Fleur didn't give Elizabeth a chance to argue. She hurried over and snatched Ursula from Elizabeth's arms and started off for the garden, talking cheerfully to the toddler. Elizabeth sighed, dropping the bag of things for Ursula. At least the toddler liked Fleur. The French woman was annoying, but she was good with Ursula so Elizabeth couldn't really complain.

Now she had no excuse not to go upstairs. She frowned, heading on form the room—passing Ginny and Helene in the kitchen again—and quickly found the room she knew had once been Fred and George's.

"So, um, did Slughorn seem like he'll be a good teacher?" Hermione was asking inside. So Harry was already awake. Just Elizabeth's luck.

"Dunno," Harry replied, "He can't be worse than Umbridge, can he?"

Elizabeth knocked lightly on the doorframe, making herself give a grin as she stepped in. Harry was sitting on the bed, still in pajamas, with Hermione at the desk nearby and Ron leaning against a wardrobe. Harry grinned back at Elizabeth, but she didn't feel the little flutter she had a year before. She didn't find herself moving on her own to hug him. Instead, she just came over and sat on the foot of the bed, making sure there was a bit of distance between them. Harry raised an eyebrow at her, but she was spared having to answer as Mrs. Weasley came in with a tray of food.

"I told you two not to bother him!" she said sharply to Ron and Hermione, then gave Elizabeth a small smile, "And sorry I didn't greet you when you came in, dear, I was a bit preoccupied."

"It's fine," Elizabeth said, "Ursula is settled, Fleur took her."

Mrs. Weasley's lips went into a thin line at that, but just nodded and went to Harry, settling the tray on his lap.

"Here you go, enjoy," she said, "I should get downstairs, I'll call you when lunch is ready later."

Mrs. Weasley turned and headed back out, but Harry was still looking confused, his gaze on Elizabeth.

"Why's your cousin here?" he asked, "And Fleur?"

Elizabeth felt her cheeks redden. She hadn't exactly told Harry about her uncle, Ursula, or what happened with Lewis. It hadn't been something she wanted to share in a letter. She glanced to Hermione, hoping the girl would see she didn't want to talk about it right this moment.

"Fleur is staying the summer," Hermione said to Elizabeth's relief, "She and Bill are engaged. They're planning to have their wedding here next year."

"What?" Harry asked, looking even more confused.

"Mrs. Weasley's not too happy about it," Elizabeth said, "She keeps saying they're rushing into things."

"They've known each other a year," Ron pointed out.

Elizabeth frowned, thinking about the fact that her and Harry's relationship started going downhill even before that. Still, she wondered if Bill and Fleur had given themselves enough time. What if they fell apart as well? Fleur was annoying, but she still seemed like a good enough woman, and Elizabeth really liked Bill. She'd hate for them to end up regretting their marriage.

"Well, that explains Fleur," Harry said, turning back to Elizabeth, "Why do you have Ursula with you? Is your uncle working today?"

Elizabeth sighed, staring down at her hands. She should have known she couldn't avoid this too long—just like she couldn't avoid the other conversation she needed to have with Harry.

"Uncle Xavier is gone," she said, "Mum said he dropped off Ursula one day and just disappeared. We haven't heard from him since."

"He what?" Harry asked, his voice sharpening, "He just left? How could he do that to his own kid?"

"Harry, he lost his wife," Elizabeth said, feeling herself tensing. She hated that Uncle Xavier was gone, but she could at least understand his reasoning, "When Aunt Ginger died..."

Elizabeth trailed off, pushing herself off the bed and moving away from Harry before he could have a chance to reach for her. She found herself not wanting his comfort as she used to before.

"He's still a coward," Harry said sharply. Elizabeth glared at him.

"He'll come back," she snapped, hoping that she was right, "He just needs time to recover. People grieve in different ways."

"But he still abandoned you."

Elizabeth didn't reply, turning away from Harry. Ron was looking between them with an uncomfortable expression and Hermione had seen fit to distract everyone by pulling out what looked like a telescope from one of the cardboard boxes stacked in the room.

"What's this?" she asked, studying the telescope.

"Dunno," Ron answered, jumping on the change of subject, "But if Fred and George've left it here, it's probably not ready for the joke shop yet, so be careful."

"Your mum said the shop's going well," Harry turned to Ron and Elizabeth started going through a box herself, "Said Fred and George have a real flair for business."

"That's an understatement," Ron gave a small laugh, "They're raking in the galleons! I can't wait to see the place, we haven't been to Diagon Alley yet, because Mum says Dad's got to be there for extra security and he's been really busy at work, but it sounds excellent."

"And what about Percy?" Harry asked, "Is he talking to your mum and dad again?"

"Nope."

"But he knows your dad was right all along about Voldemort being back—"

"Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right," Hermione spoke up, "I heard him tell your mum, Ron."

"Sounds like the sort of mental thing Dumbledore would say," Ron said with a nod. Elizabeth frowned, thinking of her own brother, how he'd walked away from the family because of Aunt Ginger...

"He's going to be giving me private lessons this year," Harry pulled Elizabeth from her thoughts, "Dumbledore, I mean."

Ron, who had gone over to Harry and picked up a piece of toast from his tray, dropped it again. Hermione's eyes went wide and Elizabeth stared at Harry in surprise.

"You kept that quiet!" Ron said.

"I only just remembered," Harry said, "Besides, I'd rather have told all you together. Dumbledore told me last night in your broom shed, Ron."

"Blimey...private lessons with Dumbledore!" Ron said slowly, "I wonder why he's..."

Ron trailed off, glancing towards Elizabeth and Hermione. Elizabeth frowned, not looking up from the box she was going through, which seemed to be full of what looked like smaller versions of the Hogwarts Sorting Hat. What Fred and George had intended with them, Elizabeth had no idea.

"I don't know exactly why he's going to give me lessons," Harry said—Elizabeth could see from the corner of her eye that he was staring at his plate—"But I think it must be because of the prophecy."

"The one from the Ministry," Elizabeth said softly. The one the Death Eaters had tried to steal, had lured Harry and them into a trap to get. The trap that led to her aunt's death...

"Nobody knows what it said, though," Hermione said, "It got smashed."

"Although the _Prophet_ says—" Ron started, but Hermione cut him off with a glare.

"The _Prophet's_ got it right," Harry said. Elizabeth looked up for the first time, staring at Harry. The _Daily Prophet_ had been going on about Harry was "The Chosen One," destined to destroy Voldemort once and for all.

"That glass ball that smashed wasn't the only record of the prophecy," Harry went on, "I heard the whole thing in Dumbledore's office, he was the one the prophecy was made to, so he could tell me. From what it said..." Harry paused, looking around at the three of them. "It looks like I'm the one who's got to finish off Voldemort...At least it says that neither of us could live while the other survives."

Elizabeth knew that Voldemort always targeted Harry personally, but knowing that Harry really was destined to face him was unnerving. She felt a bit sick, finding herself guilty for worrying about having to break up with him.

A loud bang made Elizabeth jump and she spun around to see Hermione coughing, still clutching the telescope which now had a boxing glove poking out of the end of it. And Hermione was developing a nasty black eye.

"I squeezed it and it—it punched me!" Hermione said weakly.

"Don't worry," Ron said, coming towards Hermione and seemed to be fighting back a smirk, "Mum'll fix that, she's good at healing minor injuries—"

"Oh well, never mind that now!" Hermione pushed past Ron and went to sit on the edge of the bed, "Harry, oh Harry..."

Elizabeth fidgeted a little, watching them before pulling the chair of one of the desks over and sitting down.

"I bet you're worried," Elizabeth said, "I mean..."

"Honestly, I think I always knew," Harry responded, "Since I've heard the prophecy...I feel like I always knew I'd have to face him in the end."

Elizabeth watched him. She could tell he was telling the truth. It seemed as if he'd already accepted all of this...

"When we heard Dumbledore was collecting you in person," Ron spoke up, "We thought he might be telling you something or showing you something to do with the prophecy. And we were kind of right, weren't we? He wouldn't be giving you lessons if he thought you were a gonner, wouldn't waste his time—he must think you've got a chance!"

"That's true," Hermione said, "I wonder what he'll teach you, Harry? Really advanced defensive magic, probably...Powerful countercurses...anti-jinxes...and evasive enchantments generally. Well, at least you know one lesson you'll be having this year, that's one more than us. I wonder when our O.W.L. results will come?"

"Can't be long now, it's been a month," Ron said.

"I got mine before I came over," Elizabeth said, "Surprised yours haven't came yet."

Hermione leapt to her feet, her eyes wide with horror.

"They're coming today?" she cried, "Today! By why didn't you—oh my God—you should have said—I'm going to see whether any owls have come..."

Hermione was out the door before they could say anything. Ron rolled his eyes with a smirk and followed, stopping in the doorway.

"Coming?" he asked.

"Actually...I need to talk to Harry about something," Elizabeth said slowly. Even with what Harry had just told them, she knew she needed to do this. She needed to get it over with before she had a chance to make excuses not to.

Ron just shrugged and left and Elizabeth stayed in the chair she was in, twisting the hem of her shirt in her hands.

"Is something wrong, Elizabeth?" Harry asked, moving to sit on the edge of the bed.

"No," Elizabeth replied, then paused, "Well, not really...It's just..." Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head. "It's just I've been thinking a lot over the past month...About us."

Elizabeth glanced up just slightly and noticed Harry giving her a confused look.

"Us?" he asked. Elizabeth nodded, looking back down to her hands.

"It's just...We haven't really acted like we're a couple, have we?"

Silence met Elizabeth's question and she frowned, gripping her hands tighter.

"I mean, we started out okay," Elizabeth went on, "But it seemed to quickly go away. We were never really together a way a couple should be. Even when we were alone, we only ever just talked..."

"So...Are you saying we need to be together more?" Harry asked slowly.

Elizabeth sighed, closing her eyes.

"I'm saying I think we should go back to just being friends."

Again, the room was quiet. Elizabeth didn't dare look up this time. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she silently begged Harry to understand...

"Are you sure?" Harry finally asked. Elizabeth was surprised—and relieved—to hear he didn't sound angry or hurt. She finally looked up to see Harry just watching her with a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah," Elizabeth said softly, "We tried, and I don't think it really worked out. I think we're better off as friends than a couple. And I don't want to lose our friendship at all, I just don't think we really...work romantically."

Harry was quiet for a bit, staring down at his lap. Finally, he nodded.

"I guess you're right," he said slowly, "I mean, you said it yourself. We haven't exactly acted like a couple."

Elizabeth felt a wave of relief. Harry was being understanding. This was all going so well, she could hardly believe it.

"We're still friends, right?" Elizabeth asked, "We've been through so much together, I—"

"Don't worry," Harry grinned a little, "We're still friends."

Elizabeth grinned back. She was so relieved that things had gone so well. She hadn't lost Harry as a friend and now she didn't have to worry about things unraveling more and more—

A scream came from downstairs. Harry and Elizabeth both looked up, then hurried off. In the kitchen, Hermione had her hands over her mouth, staring out the window. Ron's face was pale, staring in the same direction. As Elizabeth watched, she could see a group of owls flying closer and closer...

Mrs. Weasley hurried over to the window and opened it just in time to let in four owls.

Elizabeth stood, waiting while Harry, Ron, and Hermione checked their results, then Harry and Ron exchanged their letters. Elizabeth moved over to check their grades over their shoulders. Ron had managed one more O.W.L. than she had—an E in Potions—but otherwise, their grades were similar. Again, Harry had the same result, only his Defense Against the Dark Arts grade had been a perfect O. Though Elizabeth felt a pang of regret when she looked at Harry's. An E in Potions. Professor Snape refused to take anyone under Outstandings. Harry had just lost his chance to become an Auror. And she'd broken up with him just moments before...

Elizabeth distracted herself by looking over to Hermione, who was still as a statue and staring at her own results.

"Hermione?" Elizabeth asked, coming over. "Is something wrong?"

"N-no," Hermione said quickly. Ron came over and snatched the parchment from Hermione and laughed.

"Nine Outstandings and one Exceeds Expectations at Defense Against the Dark Arts!" he said brightly, grinning at Hermione, "You're actually disappointed, aren't you?'

Hermione simply shook her head. Elizabeth couldn't help but grin a little, despite everything.

"Well, we're N.E.W.T. students now!" Ron said, turning to Mrs. Weasley, "Mum, are there any more sausages?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at Ron, but the guilt was still worming in her. If she had known Harry's O.W.L. results beforehand, she probably would have put off breaking up with him...

 _'But he's fine with it,'_ Elizabeth thought, reminding herself of what Hermione had told her the day before. If she had drawn this out, it most likely wouldn't have ended well. All in all, this had been for the best. They could both move on now.


	4. Changes at Diagon Alley

_**Chapter Four:**_

 _ **Changes at Diagon Alley**_

It turned out a week away from the Burrow was good for Elizabeth. There was still all the trouble with Ursula, but having several days just to herself and mother with the toddler seemed to rejuvenate Elizabeth. Getting to see her favorite Quidditch team to play in person helped as well.

When she finally did return to the Burrow for daily visits, Elizabeth found the best way to avoid the awkwardness with Harry was to not be alone in a room with him. Luckily, that was very easy to do considering how crowded the Burrow was every day with the Weasleys, not to mention Harry, Hermione, Helene, and Fleur staying there, then daily visitors on top of that. Elizabeth never had a moment to worry about being alone with Harry, so it was easy to have fun and enjoy herself. She often thought about how things felt almost normal when she was with her friends, joking around and laughing over Ginny's imitations of Fleur.

The only thing that brought down the mood was the constant reports in the _Daily Prophet_ that reminded them a war was going on around them. Harry had commented to Elizabeth one day that Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Sirius were beginning to annoy Mrs. Weasley with their constant discussions over dinner. Elizabeth found herself grateful that she often didn't stay for dinner herself. The times she did, however, were sullen experiences.

Even Harry's birthday dinner wasn't spared. Elizabeth had been in the middle of a conversation with Hermione, theorizing what they'd be learning in Transfiguration N.E.W.T. classes, and if Professor McGonagall would teach them more about Animagi—Elizabeth was quite interested in the ability—when Remus Lupin arrived.

"He doesn't look too good, does he?" Elizabeth whispered. Helene and Ron—who had been talking adamantly about Quidditch next to them—looked up. Lupin really didn't look at all healthy. His clothes were far more ragged and patched than usual and his hair was grayer than when Elizabeth had last seen him a few months ago.

Sirius Summoned another chair to the garden where they were enjoying the evening air with their cake as Mrs. Weasley cut a slice for Lupin.

"There have been another couple of dementor attacks," Lupin said as he sat down, "And they've found Igor Karkaroff's body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark had been set over it—well, frankly, I'm surprised he stayed alive for even a year after deserting the Death Eaters; Sirius's brother, Regulus, only managed a few days as far as I can remember."

"Yeah, well, Regulus never had much in the way of brains," Sirius commented.

Elizabeth frowned a little. She knew Sirius had never been on good terms with his family, but since everything with Lewis, Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder if her family would be the same way. What if Lewis had died? Would she just think he brought it on himself for being so thick? As much as she hated what he was doing, Lewis was still her brother, after all. She didn't want to lose him.

"Did you hear about Florean Fortescue?" Bill asked, leaning forward on the table, "The man who ran—"

"—the ice cream place in Diagon Alley?" Harry cut in, looking up, "He used to give me free ice creams. What's happened to him?"

"Dragged off, by the look of his place."

"Why?" Ron asked quickly. Elizabeth noticed Mrs. Weasley didn't look at all happy about this trail of conversation.

"Who knows?" Bill answered, "He must've upset them somehow. He was a good man, Florean."

"Talking of Diagon Alley," Mr. Weasley said, "Looks like Ollivander's gone too."

"What?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief, "What would they want with a wand maker?"

"Don't know," Sirius said, "Maybe it's because Ollivander is one of the best and want him out of the way. I guess people will have to do with other wand makers now."

Elizabeth frowned, her appetite suddenly gone. She remembered getting her wand from Ollivander's years ago, and she thought of Susan's little sister, Sarah. Had her parents already gotten her a wand, or would she have to make do with a wand maker of less talent than Ollivander?

The thought hung around in Elizabeth's mind all through the rest of dinner and her trip home. As Elizabeth gotten ready for bed and curled up under the quilt, she stared out the window nearby. She wondered where Ollivander was and if he was okay. It was something still floating through her mind as she drifted off to sleep nearly an hour later.

 **xxxxx**

Mail had already been delivered when Elizabeth came into the kitchen for breakfast the next morning. Among the letters was Elizabeth's new school list, which she noticed held books for each class she was able to continue. Even though she didn't plan to continue Muggle Studies, she might still get _My Year as a Muggle_ to read on her own.

Grace frowned when she saw the school list among their letters.

"I'm not going to have another day off for a while," she said, "I'm not sure when we'll be able to go get your supplies."

"I can go with the Weasleys," Elizabeth said, "I'm sure they plan to go soon and we'll be fine in a large group."

Grace hesitated, glancing towards Ursula, who was making a mess out of her bowl of porridge.

"Bill and Fleur will probably stay at the Burrow," Elizabeth went on—she was sure they would be willing to have some time alone, "They can watch Ursula."

Grace gave a sigh, shaking her head.

"I guess I can't make you wait until I have another day off to go," she said, "Just be careful, okay?"

Elizabeth nodded, having no interest in causing trouble on a simple shopping trip.

Two days later, Elizabeth arrived at the Burrow with clouds overhead threatening rain. The Weasleys were already outside with Harry, Hermione, Sirius, and Helene, getting into a magical car provided by the Ministry of Magic. Bill and Fleur were indeed staying behind and were more than happy to babysit Ursula while the others were gone.

Even though the inside of the car was enchanted to be incredibly spacious, Elizabeth still made sure not to sit next to Harry. Their break-up had been a month before and even though Harry seemed perfectly fine with it, Elizabeth still found things a bit awkward between them. Hermione kept saying it would pass with time and Elizabeth hoped so. She wanted things to be normal between them.

It was a quick trip to a familiar street where The Leaky Cauldron was hidden away from Muggle eyes. As the car pulled to a stop and they started to get out, Elizabeth noticed a familiar figure waiting by the entrance: Hagrid, the half-giant man who worked as groundskeeper at Hogwarts.

"Harry!" Hagrid greeted the boy by pulling him into a hug that made Elizabeth glad that she was out of Hagrid's long reach, "Buckbeak—Witherwings, I mean—yeh should see him, Harry, he's so happy ter be back in the open air—"

"Anyone would be glad to be out of that old house," Sirius said, referring to his old family home that he and Buckbeak had been confined to for the past year before Sirius had been vindicated of the charges that had landed him in Azkaban, "So he's doing well?"

Elizabeth grinned. She had a feeling Sirius must have grown fond of the hippogriff during their time on the run together.

"Better than ever," Hagrid said, "But we should get goin'. After yeh lot."

Elizabeth could tell Diagon Alley was going to be a different place just walking into the Leaky Cauldron. The place was empty save for the bartender, Tom, standing behind the bar and cleaning a glass. He looked up rather hopefully at the large group coming in and Elizabeth felt sorry for him as she saw his face fall when he realized they were only passing through.

Elizabeth barely recognized Diagon Alley as they made their way onto the familiar street. Every store's display was hidden from view by Ministry of Magic wanted posters and tips on safety. Those that didn't have posters over them were boarded up, so it was still hard to see what was in the store. Elizabeth frowned as they walked past Ollivander's, finding it so strange to see the doors locked and the lights out inside. She wanted to pause and take a look, but Mrs. Weasley was walking far too quickly down the street.

She wasn't the only one who seemed interested in getting shopping done quickly. No one was stopping to talk anymore and were often giving others wary looks as they passed. Elizabeth knew they always attracted attention when Hagrid was with their group. People would always give them a wide berth normally, but Elizabeth noticed that it wasn't Hagrid people kept watching this time. Elizabeth noticed most of them kept glancing towards Sirius with worried expressions and often moving to the other side of the street to avoid walking near him. Sirius was frowning, but otherwise didn't show any sign that he noticed. Elizabeth couldn't help but think about what Susan had said a month ago... _It's still so strange to think he wasn't actually the one that killed all those Muggles years ago. I'm not sure I'd want to be around him either way._..She thought about how hard it had been for Sirius to find his own place and how he was still living with Remus Lupin...Sirius may be free, but it seemed people were still against him. It was going to take a long time before Sirius was accepted, if he ever was. Elizabeth couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

As they made their way down the street, shady-looking witches and wizards had set up temporary stalls in front of shops, calling out to passerby, trying to sell various items they claimed could protect the owner. Elizabeth knew those items did anything but that, however.

"If only I were on duty..." Mr. Weasley said lowly, glaring at a man who was waving some sort of amulet at them.

"Yes, but don't go arresting anyone now, dear, we're in a hurry," Mrs. Weasley said, "I think we'd better do Madam Malkin's first, Hermione wants new dress robes, and Ron's showing much too much ankle in his school robes, and you must need new ones too, Harry, you've grown so much—come on, everyone—"

"Molly, it doesn't make sense for all of us to go to Madam Malkin's," Mr. Weasley pointed out, "Why don't those three go with Hagrid, and we can go to Flourish and Blotts and get everyone's school books?"

"I don't know..." Mrs. Weasley said slowly, obviously unsure, "Hagrid, do you think—"

"Don' fret, they'll be fine with me, Molly," Hagrid said with a wave of his large hand—Sirius had to duck to avoid being hit by accident.

Mrs. Weasley frowned, but eventually relented. Elizabeth told the Harry, Ron, and Hermione that she'd see them in a bit and followed Sirius, Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, Ginny, and Helene towards Flourish and Blotts.

There were a few people in the shop when they arrived, but none of them were talking. They seemed to be trying to find their books as quickly as possible and leave.

"It is so strange seeing Diagon Alley like zis," Helene said as she, Elizabeth, and Ginny went to look at a set of journals as Helene wanted a new one for her sketching.

"I know," Elizabeth sighed, "This used to be my favorite place. The shops were always busy and there was always so much to see. Now, everything's just so...dull."

"And everyone's so suspicious of each other," Ginny said, then glancing over her shoulder to make sure her parents and Sirius weren't in ear shot before turning to the others, "Did you see the looks people kept giving Sirius?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth said, glancing over as well. Sirius had just gone to pick up some book and a woman with her son nearby took her son by the arm and hurried him to the other end of the store, casting Sirius nasty looks. Sirius—fortunately—had his back to her and hadn't seen.

"I remember 'earing about 'im from some of ze Ravenclaws," Helene said, "But I've gotten to know 'im ze past month, 'e is a really good guy."

"He is, but people still see him as the madman who broke out of Azkaban," Ginny made a face, "They don't want to see him as the innocent man wrongly imprisoned for twelve years an hunted for another two."

"Well, he didn't exactly do very innocent things while he was on the run," Elizabeth pointed out, finding herself a copy of _My Year as a Muggle_ near the section of journals, "He broke into Hogwarts multiple times, evaded arrest, and not to mention escaped Ministry custody. I'm surprised they didn't try to charge him on that after he was vindicated."

"They did," Ginny said, "I overheard Mum and Dad talking about it. Apparently Dumbledore convinced them to wave the charges given the twelve years he was wrongly imprisoned."

"Sirius deserves zat second chance," Helene said simply, "'Opefully more people will be willing to give it soon."

Given the state of the world right now, Elizabeth doubted that was going to happen. She knew better than to say so, however, and was spared having to respond because Mrs. Weasley called them over, saying it was time to go.

When they met back up with the others, Elizabeth could tell by Harry, Ron, and Hermione's faces that something at happened at Madam Malkin's. As the group went towards the Apothecary, Harry, Elizabeth, and Ron waited outside with Hagrid—as none of them were taking Potions—and Harry explained what had happened: They'd had a run-in with one of their least favorite people, Draco Malfoy.

"He wasn't that happy his mother wouldn't let him go shopping alone," Harry said, "He got really picky over how Madam Malkin was doing his robes, then the two of them left after we were there."

"Not before you argued with him, I bet," Elizabeth said simply. The look on Harry's face was enough confirmation and Elizabeth sighed. She would have said something, but once she thought about it she realized she probably would have ended up in an argument herself. Malfoy was very good at picking fights.

Once everyone came out of the Apothecary, Mrs. Weasley said it was time to check in on Fred and George. Ron was incredibly pleased to hear this.

"We haven't got too long," Mrs. Weasley was saying as they walked down the street, "so we'll just have a quick look around and then back to the car. We must be close, that's number ninety-two...ninety-four..."

Elizabeth's eyes widened as she caught sight of the store that was unmistakably Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. While other shops were dark—even the ones still in business—and quiet, the Weasley twins' shop was very bright and loud. One window was full of various items that refused to be still, bouncing around in the displays or setting off little fireworks. The other window was covered completely by a single purple banner with harshly contrasting yellow words that blinked in and out of view:

 **WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT**

 **YOU-KNOW-WHO?**

 **YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT**

 **U-NO-POO—**

 **THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION**

 **THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!**

Elizabeth just stared at the poster, unsure what to think. Fred and George came up with some creative things, but this was definitely one of their strangest.

"They'll be murdered in their beds!" Mrs. Weasley said weakly behind Elizabeth.

"No they won't!" Ron said cheerfully, "This is brilliant!"

They all squeezed into the store and Elizabeth already felt a bit uncomfortable. The inside was as bright and chaotic as their displays and it was also crammed with people. Elizabeth did not like crowds, but she wanted to see how their shop was going.

There was definitely a lot to see in the store and Elizabeth wasn't quite sure where to look first. There were displays of the twins' Skiving Snackboxes, crates of fake wands, and quills ranging from self-inking to smart-answer. Elizabeth picked up a self-inking quill and noticed there was a little clear cap on the end, probably to keep the ink from leaking in a bag. It reminded Elizabeth of the Muggle pens they'd used in Muggle Studies the past year. She'd liked the pens, but they didn't write well on parchment. Something like this would be nice to use in class.

Helene was over at a corner by the window that was decorated with a lot of pink, as were a large group of giggling girls. Elizabeth watched as Helene made a face, then pulled herself away from the crowd and came over to Elizabeth just as Fred had appeared with Hermione—who was dabbing something yellow over her blackened eye—Ginny, and Harry. It seemed that Fred was showing Ginny and Hermione the pink stand nearby.

"Ah, I see you two have already found our love potions," Fred said with a grin at Elizabeth and Helene, "Best ones you'll find anywhere."

Elizabeth understood why Helene had looked so disgusted. If you needed a potion to get someone to like you, then that relationship shouldn't be worth it. Using a love potion would be no better than using the Imperius Curse in Elizabeth's opinion.

"But we're not selling them to our sister," George said as he had come over, "Not when she's already got about five boys on the go from what we've—"

"Whatever you've heard from Ron is a big fat lie," Ginny shot back, picking up a small pink container, "What's this?"

"Guaranteed ten-second pimple vanisher," Fred said, "Excellent on everything from boils to blackheads, but don't change the subject. Are you or are you not currently going out with a boy called Dean Thomas?"

"Yes, I am," Ginny said, "And last I looked, he was definitely one boy, not five. What are those?"

Elizabeth looked over to what Ginny was pointing at. Helene was already cooing over the balls of fluff that were in the cage. Elizabeth moved closer and realized they were literally just little balls of fluff in shades of pink or purple, small enough to fit in the palm of the hand and letting out little squeaks. Elizabeth had to admit, they were really adorable. She'd love to get one, but she had a feeling that Cream would mistake the little fluff ball for a toy.

"Pygmy puffs," George said, "Miniature puffskeins, we can't breed them fast enough. So what about Michael Corner?"

"I dumped him, he was a bad loser," Ginny said, moving closer to Helene and putting a finger through the cage, as Helene was already doing and giggling brightly at the pygmy puffs. "They're really cute!"

"They're fairly cuddly, yes," Fred said, "But you're moving through boyfriends a bit fast, aren't you?"

Ginny spun from the cage, glaring at her brothers with her hands on her hips.

"It's none of your business," she said, then turning on Ron as he came up with an armful of products, "And I'll thank you not to tell tales about me to these two!"

Elizabeth, not wanting to get in the middle of a family argument, moved towards the window and noticed Draco Malfoy walking along the street, only he was completely alone. Didn't Harry say Mrs. Malfoy wouldn't let him go shopping alone?

"Wonder where his mummy is," Harry said behind Elizabeth, obviously seeing Malfoy as well.

"Given her the slip by the looks of it," Ron said.

"Why, though?" Hermione asked. Elizabeth frowned as she glanced to Harry, seeing the wrinkle between his eyes that formed whenever he was thinking. She didn't like where this was going.

She was right. Harry gave a quick look around, then pulled out something long and silvery from his bag: his Invisibility Cloak.

"Get under here, quick," he said.

Elizabeth hesitated, but knew Harry was going one way or another, so she slipped under the cloak with her friends. Unfortunately, this meant for her to be in a tight huddle with Hermione, Ron, and Harry. The closest they'd been to each other since breaking up. Elizabeth couldn't help but feel incredibly awkward about it. At least once they were out in the street, she didn't have to worry about bumping into anyone.

"He was going in that direction," Harry said in a soft whisper as they slipped past Hagrid, "C'mon."

Elizabeth stayed close, trying to ignore how cramped they were under the cloak, as they made their way on down the street.

"That's him, isn't it?" Hermione suddenly asked, pointing ahead of them the best she could, "Turning left?"

"Right onto Knockturn Alley," Elizabeth muttered, unsurprised.

"Quick, or we'll lose him," Harry said. Without warning, he started walking faster and Elizabeth stumbled as she tried to keep herself under the cloak with the others.

They made their way around the corner onto the alleyway, only to find it empty. Elizabeth wasn't surprised. Given the times, even those who shopped here regularly would rather avoid being seen in such a questionable place. As they passed several stores, Elizabeth saw the stores inside were as empty as the streets.

"Look!" Hermione spoke up, pointing into one of the shops they were passing, "He's in there!"

Elizabeth stared at the dusty sign over the shop that read 'Borgin and Burkes', then looked through the window to see Malfoy was indeed inside, his back to them as he was talking to the shopkeeper. The man was watching Malfoy warily, obviously displeased with the boy in his shop but he wasn't throwing him out.

"If only we could hear what they're saying," Hermione whispered.

"We can!" Ron said, shifting around the boxes he was holding, "Hang on—damn!"

Several of the boxes slipped through his fingers, hitting the ground below. He sighed, then finally held up a box with the image of an ear on a fleshy string on it.

"Extendable Ears!" he said excitedly, pulling the ear out and letting it unravel.

"Oh, I hope the door isn't Imperturbable," Hermione said as Ron started to feed the ear under the door.

"No! Listen!"

The four gathered together, tilting their heads to all be able to hear what was going on inside the store. The sound coming through was as clear as if the four were in the store themselves.

"...you know how to fix it?" Malfoy was asking.

"Possibly," the shopkeeper said evasively, "I'll need to see it, though. Why don't you bring it into the shop?"

"I can't. It's got to stay put. I just need you to tell me how to do it."

"Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job," the shopkeeper said, and Elizabeth saw he looked a little nervous, "I couldn't guarantee anything."

"No?" Malfoy asked sharply, moving closer to the shopkeeper—unfortunately, he disappeared from sight behind a large cabinet, "Perhaps this will make you more confident."

The shopkeeper's eyes widened and he took a small step back. Elizabeth frowned, wondering what Malfoy could have shown the shopkeeper to make him seem like a threat to a man probably three times his age.

"Tell anyone and there will be retribution," Malfoy said, "You know Fenrir Greyback? He's a family friend."

Elizabeth tensed, her breath catching slightly. She knew that name all too well from reports in the _Daily Prophet_ and stories her mother told her about victims of werewolf attacks. Greyback was a very dangerous werewolf who seemed to attack people just for amusement.

"He'll be dropping in from time to time to make sure you're giving the problem your full attention."

"There will be no need for—"

"I'll decide that. Well, I'd better be off. And don't forget to keep _that_ one safe, I'll need it."

"Perhaps you'd like to take it now?"

"No, of course I wouldn't you stupid little man!" Malfoy hissed, "How would I look carrying that down the street? Just don't sell it."

"Of course not...sir," the storekeeper said with a low bow.

"Not a word to anyone, Borgin, and that includes my mother, understand?"

"Naturally, naturally..."

Malfoy turned and started for the door. Elizabeth and the others had to quickly pull back their Extendable Ear and take a few steps backwards to avoid Malfoy as he came out of the store. Moments later, he disappeared around the corner back onto Diagon Alley.

"What's he doing here he didn't want his mum to know about?" Elizabeth asked, "Could it be whatever it was he's trying to get Mr. Borgin to keep?"

"Dunno," Harry said, "Could you see what he pointed to?"

"No, he was behind that cabinet," Ron said.

"You stay here," Hermione whispered, then before anyone could ask, she ducked out from under the cloak and marched into the store. Elizabeth stared after her as Ron quickly shoved the Extendable Ears back under the door.

"Hello, horrible morning, isn't it?" Hermione asked cheerfully.

Elizabeth groaned. Was this the same girl who so easily fooled Umbridge just a few short months ago?

"Is this necklace for sale?" Hermione asked after a moment, looking over a case of jewelry.

"If you've got one and a half thousand galleons," Mr. Borgin replied.

"Oh—er—no," Hermione said weakly, looking around the shop more, "I haven't got quite that much. And...what about this lovely—um—skull?"

"Sixteen galleons."

"So it's for sale, then?" Hermione asked, "It isn't being...kept for anyone?"

Elizabeth groaned again. Hermione was incredibly obvious in what she was doing. The look on Mr. Borgin's face made it far too clear he knew what she was up to. Hermione seemed to realize she'd been found out as well.

"The thing is," Hermione said quickly, "That but who was in here just now, Draco Malfoy, well, he's a friend of mine, and I want to get him a birthday present, but if he's already reserved anything, I obviously don't want to get him the same thing, so...um..."

Was that the best Hermione could do? Elizabeth felt she'd have handled it differently. She definitely wouldn't go pointing to random objects and asking if they were being reserved. Plus walking into the store right after Malfoy left was also a very bad idea to try and get information.

Mr. Borgin all but chased Hermione out of the store and once she was out the door, Mr. Borgin slammed it shut, flipping the sign in the window to 'CLOSED'.

"Ah, well," Ron said as Hermione ducked back under the cloak, "Worth a try, but you were a bit obvious—"

"Well, next time you can show me how it's done, Master of Mystery!" Hermione snapped.

Elizabeth knew better than to tell Hermione she agreed with Ron so she instead kept her mouth shut as they hurried back to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Still, her mind kept going over ways on how she could have done it differently, how maybe she could have gotten that information. There was no use trying again, however, especially since they wouldn't be back to Diagon Alley anytime soon. For now, she'd just have to put Malfoy's little detour out of her mind.


	5. Visits

_**Chapter Five:**_

 _ **Visits**_

Two days after their trip to Diagon Alley, Elizabeth received a letter from Alain. Her friend wrote her that he was home again and invited her to visit the following week to catch up, as well as meet his girlfriend Didiane. Elizabeth found herself excited to finally meet the girl that Alain spoke so highly of, and had been dating for nearly three years now—a relationship that had managed to last through two years of long-distance.

At the same time, Elizabeth was jealous. They'd managed to keep a relationship going for years when Elizabeth had had two boyfriends in the same amount of time, neither even lasting a full year. Still, Elizabeth refused to let her jealousy cause any friction. She wanted to enjoy time with her friends, even if she had seen Helene almost every day the past month.

When Elizabeth arrived—without Ursula as her mother didn't have to work—she had to admit she liked the Pelland home. It was small, but seemed cozy with its vegetable garden out front and an apple tree casting shade over the pathway to the front door.

"Eleezabet!" Alain greeted her at the door with a kiss on each cheek, "Come on, we can get settled and zen we can talk."

Elizabeth nodded, following Alain into a cozy family room, where Helene was laying on the floor with one of her new journals, working on some latest drawing. She looked up and grinned, hopping to her feet and gathering her things, quickly sitting on the couch next to a woman Elizabeth had never met, but she'd seen many pictures of. She was dark-skinned, with black hair loose around her shoulders and wearing a simple sundress. She grinned at Elizabeth, rising to her feet as she and Alain came on into the house.

"You're Didiane?" Elizabeth asked, stepping forward and holding out a hand, "Alain's told me a lot about you."

"'E 'as told me much about you as well," Didiane said brightly, coming over and shaking Elizabeth's hand, "Eet ees a pleasure to finally meet you!"

"Same," Elizabeth said, "I've been looking forward to it. Alain said that you two planned to travel?"

Elizabeth settled herself down in an armchair as Alain sat on Didiane's other side, putting an arm around her with a soft grin. Helene rolled her eyes at them.

"We decided to wait on zat," Alain said, turning back to Elizabeth, "With...Well, everyzing going on."

"Oh..." Elizabeth said slowly, though she could understand their wanting to wait. She remembered how everyone was at Diagon Alley. No one wanted to be away from home for too long, no one wanted to travel. Elizabeth thought it was very brave of Didiane to move to a country in the middle of war against one of the worst dark wizards in history.

"I begin working at ze Ministry next week," Didiane said, "I've always been told I 'ave a special way wiz animals. Zis was a job zat appealed a lot to me."

"I plan to be a journalist myself," Elizabeth said, "Once I finish Hogwarts. Maybe I'll be interviewing you over something one day."

"Or Alain over whatever boring text book 'e will write zat students will now be using," Helene said. Alain glared at her.

"Watch it or I'll contract you to draw ze illustrations," he said.

"Zat is playing dirty!"

"No, playing dirty would be telling Eleezabet just 'ow many pictures you've drawn of—"

"Don't you dare!" Helene's face went red as she glared at her brother. Elizabeth stared. She'd never seen the girl get embarrassed before, not even when she'd gotten caught vandalizing the Hogwarts walls with rather inappropriate artwork a few months before. Of course, having an older brother herself, she knew that brothers had a way of knowing just how to get under a sister's skin.

The thought made Elizabeth's chest hurt, however. Especially given the cold encounter she'd had with her own brother at the start of the summer holiday.

"I don't see what's wrong with drawing pictures of your boyfriend," Elizabeth said, "Cyrus, right?"

"Cyrus and I broke up," Helene said sharply, "'E didn't really appreciate my 'stupidity' in 'elping 'Arry at ze Ministry."

"Alain told me about zat," Didiane said, "'E said you went to 'elp save someone, and zat you stood against You-Know-Oo. Zat was brave, Cyrus shouldn't 'ave—"

Helene cut in, saying something in French that almost sounded as if she were calling Cyrus a salad but from the look Alain gave her, Elizabeth guessed it had been rude. If it weren't for the uncomfortable sensation that always overcame Elizabeth when the Department of Mysteries came up, she would have been amused. Her Aunt Ginger's death was still a very sore subject for her to enjoy a foreign insult.

"Ees somezing wrong?" Didiane asked and Elizabeth looked up quickly, "Ees your arm 'urt?"

Elizabeth had been rubbing her left arm near the elbow without realizing it. During the battle at the Department of Mysteries, Elizabeth and Helene had both been far too close to an exploding desk. Elizabeth had been between Helene and the desk, so she'd taken the brunt of the explosion. It had gained her a nasty scar near her left elbow from where a piece of wood had been embedded pretty deeply, and in fact she had later learned broke a few bones. Those had been healed in an instant, but the scar was still there.

"I'm fine," Elizabeth said, "Just..."

"What we went zrough isn't a fun topic," Helene said, glancing at Elizabeth, "We'd razer talk about ozer zings. Like 'ow I 'ope we 'ave a better Defense Against ze Dark Arts teacher zis year."

"We should," Elizabeth said, remembering the conversation with Harry not long ago, "Harry met the man, Professor Slughorn. He says that he seems a bit odd, but he's not really that prejudice, especially for a former Slytherin. He said Slughorn told him his mother, who was Muggle-born, had been one of his favorite students."

"Alain says you've already done shopping for ze new year," Didiane said, "When do you start?"

"September first," Helene said, "We still have anozer month."

"Well, eet will be nice to spend ze time wiz you before you leave," Didiane said.

"You'll learn plenty living 'ere," Helene said, "As long as you watch where you step when I 'ave Puffy out."

"Puffy?" Elizabeth asked blankly.

"It's what I finally named ze pygmy puff," Helene said, "I know it's not original."

"I zink eet's adorable," Didiane said brightly. Alain rolled his eyes.

"You would, Didi."

Didiane made a face at the nickname, which caused Alain to grin. She didn't say anything, however. Maybe she'd learned over the years it was worthless to protest a nickname she didn't like.

It was a nice day and a wonderful break from watching Ursula, spending time chatting with Alain, Didiane, and Helene. Elizabeth could see more why Alain and Didiane worked as a couple. They were both cheerful and friendly, but where Alain was more laid back, Didiane was more serious. They were also both incredibly passionate about their interests—Alain with Herbology and Didiane with traveling. They were both looking forward to traveling the world for Alain to gather information about his book he wanted to write, but both knew that now was not the time.

"At least," Didiane had said hours later, "Working for now will 'elp us raise more money for traveling. Eet will make ze travel much easier."

"I 'ave a lot saved already," Alain said, "From working ze last year, but it would be nice to make sure we 'ave all we need."

"'Ow about I show you around?" Helene asked, getting up from the couch, looking to Elizabeth, "I'm a bit tired of listening to travel plans, aren't you?"

"You could 'ave told us to stop at any time," Alain pointed out.

"And not 'ave a chance to tease you?" Helene smirked, then turned back to Elizabeth, "Come on, I'll show you ze garden."

Elizabeth had already seen part of the garden when she arrived, but she let Helene lead her outside anyway. In truth, she was getting a bit bored of talk about travel, and the way Didiane and Alain kept grinning at each other. Elizabeth felt the only good thing was that they weren't nearly as bad as Fleur mooning over Bill.

"It's so nice to be 'ome again," Helene said as they both sat down under the apple tree, "Zough it was fun at ze Burrow, zere's somezing about being in your own bed."

"I know what you mean," Elizabeth replied, staring up at the leaves overhead. It was a warm, clear day, something that was becoming a rarity lately. Warm sunlight filtered down through the branches and Elizabeth closed her eyes. For a moment, she could pretend the war wasn't happening. She could pretend things were normal, that she was just spending a day with a friend. That she wouldn't be going home to help raise her own cousin...

"Do you zink it will be different at 'Ogwarts this year?" Helene asked. Elizabeth looked over at her.

"It'll be very different without Umbridge," Elizabeth said, "Hogwarts wasn't really Hogwarts with her around. I'm sorry you didn't get a good impression of the school for your first year."

"Oh, I love 'Ogwarts," Helene said simply, sitting up straighter, "It's so different zan Beauxbatons, but it's a good different."

"Good," Elizabeth said, "The year should definitely be better, though. Especially since Dumbledore will be back. There's no safer place than Hogwarts."

Though as the words left her mouth, Elizabeth felt an odd chill she couldn't quite explain. There was no breeze to brush it off and that made Elizabeth nervous. Odd, foreboding feelings were something Elizabeth had grown used to over the last few years even though they were never welcome. It was a warning that something was coming, though Elizabeth never knew exactly what. After what happened during the night at the Department of Mysteries, Elizabeth wasn't too sure she could trust those instincts anymore.

"I'm sure you'd welcome a few months away from a toddler," Helene said with a bit of a smirk and Elizabeth shook off her odd feelings, grinning a little in return.

"Actually, I'm a bit worried about it," she said, "Mum says she'll be fine. She raised Lewis and me on her own, but back then she..."

Elizabeth's smile faded. Back then she'd had Aunt Ginger to help her. Now, however, she was on her own. Elizabeth tried to help, but in three short weeks, she'd be going back to Hogwarts.

"I'm sure Mrs. Weasley will 'elp 'er," Helene said softly, "She's been 'elping all summer, after all."

"Yeah, you're right," Elizabeth said with a sigh, "I just...I wish I knew where Uncle Xavier was. I've been really worried about him."

"Maybe 'e just needed some time," Helene said, "And 'e will come back soon."

Elizabeth wasn't so sure. It'd been a couple of months, after all. She thought that if Uncle Xavier planned to come back, he would have by now. She wished he would have at least sent a letter. Something to let his family know he was alive. Elizabeth sighed, staring at the leaves above her. There was no point obsessing over this. She had a feeling she'd figure out the truth one day. She just needed to stop obsessing over it and wait.


	6. Harry's Suspicions

_**Chapter Six:**_

 _ **Harry's Suspicions**_

The end of summer came far too soon for Elizabeth. Though she was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, she had been reluctant to leave home at the same time. Walking along the corridor of the Hogwarts Express, Elizabeth couldn't help but think about her mother at home with Ursula, now having to spend the next few months balancing work and a toddler on her own. She knew Mrs. Weasley would help but she couldn't help but feel guilty, as if she were abandoning her mother.

Elizabeth knew she wasn't, however. She needed her education, even if the career she planned to follow didn't necessarily require any N.E.W.T.s. She needed to properly defend herself and the only way she was going to learn was returning to Hogwarts. She just hoped this Professor Slughorn would be a good teacher.

Elizabeth reached the prefect's carriage, finding Ron and Hermione already there. As they had gotten the welcoming instructions the year before, they only needed to pick up the new passwords for their Houses—Ron and Hermione in Gryffindor and Elizabeth in Hufflepuff—before starting to monitor the corridors. Elizabeth knew the Hufflepuff password wouldn't have changed and started off down the corridor.

The next train car over, however, Elizabeth noticed that there was one prefect who seemed perfectly content with ignoring his duties: Draco Malfoy was in a compartment with a group of Slytherins who often followed him around, including his two goons by the name of Crabbe and Goyle. He was deep in a conversation with them, though when he glanced up and saw Elizabeth, Hermione, and Ron at the door, he made a rude gesture with his hand, then went back to his conversation.

"Honestly," Hermione huffed, turning and marching down the corridor, "That man has no tact."

"Wonder why he's not bossing around first years," Elizabeth said, "He loved flaunting his authority last year."

"No idea," Ron said, "Bet Harry would go on about his stupid theory again."

"What theory?" Elizabeth asked in confusion as Hermione scoffed.

"He's apparently under the impression that Malfoy is now a Death Eater," she said, "He told us last night while we were packing."

Elizabeth stared at Hermione in disbelief.

"Where's he getting this from?" she asked.

Hermione didn't answer. She had moved forward to tell off a group of third years who seemed to think it was appropriate to start up a game of Exploding Snap in the floor outside their carriage door. Elizabeth turned to Ron for an explanation.

"He says it's because Malfoy wouldn't let Madam Malkin touch his left arm when we ran into him in Diagon Alley," Ron said with a roll of his eyes, "And he thinks Malfoy was showing that Borgin guy the Dark Mark to intimidate him."

Elizabeth frowned, thinking it over as they walked. She could see where Harry was coming from with this theory, but at the same time Malfoy was a coward. She couldn't see Voldemort recruiting a boy that was often bested by the one person Voldemort hated the most.

"Elizabeth!" a small second-year Hufflepuff by the name of Rose Zeller came running up to her, grinning brightly, "Elizabeth, I have to know—is Harry Potter really the Chosen One? My friends have said it's been all over the papers and—"

"Bugger off, midget," Ron snapped. Rose's eyes went huge and Elizabeth glared at him, then turned to the second year.

"You can tell your friends not everything in the _Daily Prophet_ is true," she said, "Remind them of all the slander they threw against Harry last year."

"But what about what you did at the Ministry of Magic?" Rose asked with a cautious look to Ron, "About how You-Know-Who had been there to steal something?"

Elizabeth sighed. "Rose, I really don't have time for this," she said, "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Rose looked incredibly put-out, but she turned and headed off down the train to a compartment where a few other second years immediately peppered her with questions.

Rose Zeller wasn't the only one curious about the _Daily Prophet_ reports. All through their duties, Elizabeth, Hermione, and Ron were constantly being stopped by students they knew who asked them about Harry Potter supposedly being 'The Chosen One'. Elizabeth was rather sick of it by the time they finished with rounds and found the compartment Harry was in.

To Elizabeth's delight, Luna, Helene, and Neville were there with him. Elizabeth grinned at them as she settled in a seat between Hermione and the window before letting Cream out of her carrier. Elizabeth noticed Helene quickly hid her sketch journal as they entered, apparently not wanting them to see what she was drawing. She was definitely getting secretive about the thing.

Luna, as usual, had her face hidden behind a copy of a magazine called _The Quibbler_ , and Elizabeth felt she wouldn't talk much on the ride to Hogwarts. Neville was sitting across from Elizabeth, struggling to keep a grip on his ancient toad, Trevor.

"Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I'm starving," Ron said, "Hi, Neville, Luna, Helene. Guess what? Malfoy's not doing prefect duty. He's just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him when we passed."

"What did he do when he saw you?" Harry asked eagerly, sitting up straighter. Elizabeth sighed, remembering what Hermione and Ron had told her about Harry's latest theory.

"The usual," Ron shrugged, "Not like him, though, is it? Why isn't he out there bullying first years?"

"Dunno..." Harry said slowly, that furrow between his eyes forming. Elizabeth glanced at Hermione, who seemed to notice it as well.

"Maybe he preferred the Inquisitorial Squad," Hermione said quickly, "Maybe being a prefect seems a bit tame after that."

"I don't think so," Harry said, "I think he's—"

Thankfully, they were spared hearing Harry theorize about Malfoy being a Death Eater by the appearance of a third-year girl who was rather red in the face and seemed very nervous. She was clutching two small scrolls of parchment in her hand. She didn't say anything. Instead, she thrust both scrolls into Harry's hand and disappeared out the door again.

"Er, one of these is yours, Neville," Harry said, holding out one of the scrolls—Elizabeth noticed both were tied closed with a purple ribbon.

"Mine?" Neville asked, looking just as confused as Harry, bits of blond hair that needed trimming falling over his eyes.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"An invitation," Harry said blankly, "Professor Slughorn wants us to join him for lunch in compartment C."

"Who's Professor Slughorn?" Neville's round face paled a little, as if he were worried he was getting into trouble before the school year even began.

"New teacher," Harry said, "Well, I suppose we'll have to go, won't we?"

"But what does he want me for?" Neville asked nervously.

"No idea," Harry said as he got up, "Listen, let's go under the Invisibility Cloak, then we might get a good look at Malfoy on the way, see what he's up to..."

Neville didn't look that thrilled with the idea, but Elizabeth watched as he disappeared under the cloak with Harry and the compartment door closed after a moment. Elizabeth sighed, then noticed Cream was becoming far too interested in Trevor, so Elizabeth scooped up the toad, keeping him cradled in her hands on her lap.

"Why does 'Arry want to know what Malfoy is up to?" Helene asked, "Don't zey 'ate each ozer?"

"It's...a bit hard to explain," Hermione said slowly, glancing to Ron and Elizabeth. It was clear she didn't think sharing Harry's strange theory was a good idea, especially when she didn't believe it herself.

The lunch trolley came along not long after, filled with its usual sweets. Elizabeth, still keeping a grip on Trevor, bought herself just a few Pumpkin Pastries, then settled back down in her seat. Ron had gotten as many Chocolate Frogs as he could afford, as well as ate a few of Helene's. At least she didn't seem to mind. Elizabeth noticed Helene had even stealthily pushed some of her Frogs into Ron's pile when he wasn't looking.

As they were eating, a sinking feeling was beginning to settle in Elizabeth's stomach. It wasn't the usual, deep, sickening feeling when something was coming, but Elizabeth still felt a bit on edge. The feeling only grew when the compartment door opened some time later and Neville came back in—alone.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked slowly as Neville sat down across from Elizabeth, taking his toad back with a grateful smile.

"Don't know," Neville said, "He pulled on his Invisibility Cloak and said he'd catch up later."

Elizabeth sighed, a strong feeling she knew what he was up to. He'd gone to spy on Malfoy. Maybe that was what her odd feeling was for.

' _Hopefully he doesn't get himself caught,'_ Elizabeth thought. Though maybe after spying on Malfoy, he'd give up the notion that Malfoy was now a Death Eater.

"Whatever it is, he'd better hurry," Ron said, "We're getting close to Hogwarts."

As they pulled on their robes, Harry still hadn't returned. Not even when the train began to slow. The feeling in Elizabeth's stomach churned a bit more and she bit her lower lip as she got Cream settled in her carrier.

"We should go watch over the unloading," Hermione said, starting for the door.

"I can take Cream for you," Neville said to Elizabeth, "To thank you for Trevor."

"Thanks," Elizabeth grinned a little at Neville, "I'll catch up soon."

Elizabeth, Hermione, and Ron headed off in different directions to start their prefect duties as Helene, Luna, and Neville left to find a carriage. Elizabeth made sure her prefect badge was pinned well before starting off down the train, making sure everyone was doing as they should with disembarking the Hogwarts Express. Elizabeth only stopped once, when Susan and her younger sister, Sarah, were coming out of a compartment.

"Sarah made me promise I'd walk with her to the boats," Susan said, "She's really nervous about crossing the lake."

"Don't worry, it'll be fine," Elizabeth grinned at the girl, who hid behind her sister, "And I'm sure you'll be happy, no matter which House you end up in. You're going to love it here at Hogwarts."

Susan gave Elizabeth a thankful smile and headed off. As Elizabeth turned away, she noticed Malfoy coming out of a compartment up ahead, pulling the shades down over the window before closing the door and heading off. That odd feeling she'd had earlier came back and Elizabeth found herself thinking about how Harry had went off to spy on Malfoy. Now, Malfoy seemed to want to make sure this one compartment was closed off.

Elizabeth waited until Malfoy was out of sight, then went and opened the door. She didn't see anything, but her instincts told her something was there. She remembered Neville had said that Harry had pulled out his Invisibility Cloak when they parted ways.

"Harry, you need to be more careful," Elizabeth said with a sigh, pulling out her wand, " _Accio Invisibility Cloak_."

The silvery fabric shot to Elizabeth's hand and she found herself staring down at Harry, who had become a victim of _Petrificus Totalus_ and a bloody nose. Elizabeth quickly used the counter-curse she'd learned in the D.A. and Harry jerked to life, then sat up, frowning.

"Thanks," he muttered, not looking at all happy with what happened, "How'd you know?"

"I saw Malfoy closing the shades on this compartment," Elizabeth said, "You'd better go get your robes; the train will be leaving any moment. We'll hold a carriage and you can explain everything then."

"Yeah..." Harry muttered, heading off.

Elizabeth shook her head, heading off the train herself. It wasn't until she was a few steps away that she realized she'd just been alone with Harry and there hadn't been any awkward embarrassment between them. At least, not in the way they'd had over the past two months. Elizabeth grinned to herself as she found Ron and Hermione waiting at a carriage. Maybe things were finally getting better between them.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked.

"Ran into trouble," Elizabeth said, "He's coming. He's got a bloody nose, but didn't have a moment to explain. I figured we'd know what's going on once we get in the carriage."

Moments later, Harry came running towards them, still pulling his robes on over his Muggle clothes. Hermione's eyes widened when she saw Harry's bloody face.

"Harry, what happened?" she asked, pulling out her wand and pointing it at him. With two quick spells, she'd fixed his broken nose and cleaned up the blood.

"I'll explain in the carriage," Harry said, "Come on."

Without waiting for a response, Harry climbed into the carriage and Elizabeth sighed, glancing to Hermione and Ron before following.


	7. Surprising Role

_**Chapter Seven:**_

 _ **Surprising Role**_

"So, what did you find out spying on Malfoy?" Elizabeth asked once the carriage began to move and it was clear the four were not going to be overheard.

"He was telling the others that he's been given some important job by Voldemort," Harry said quickly—Ron winced at the name. Hermione looked skeptical.

"He actually said that?" she asked slowly.

"Well, not directly," Harry said, "But he implied it pretty strongly. He kept going on about how Voldemort 'didn't care about education' and what he was doing, he 'didn't need to be a qualified wizard' to do it."

"Sounds like he was just showing off," Ron said, "That's the sort of lie he'd make up, isn't it?"

"It's a huge thing to lie about, though..." Elizabeth said slowly. Maybe Harry was onto something after all. "I mean, it's one thing to brag about connections, but something like this when his father is in Azkaban?"

"That might be why," Hermione countered, "Malfoy and his family can't be Voldemort's favorite followers right now, can they? It seems like something Malfoy would do. Lie about being given some big mission so it looks like he's still in Voldemort's good graces."

Hermione had a point there. Malfoy was definitely a compulsive liar and loved flaunting his connections.

"Will you stop saying that name?" Ron snapped, though the others ignored him.

"What if he needs someone at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, "Wouldn't be the first time. Look at Quirrell, and Barty Crouch Jr.—"

"But they were adults, working under cover," Elizabeth said slowly, "What could he want with a teen who isn't even of age?"

"Maybe that's the point," Harry said, "Use someone underage so people wouldn't suspect him."

Hermione sighed, shaking her head.

"Look, let's just talk about something else," she said, "What did Professor Slughorn want? Neville didn't tell us."

"He wanted to know about what happened at the Ministry," Harry said.

"Him and everyone else," Hermione huffed, "People were interrogating us about it on the train."

"Everywhere we went, people were asking if you were really the Chosen One," Elizabeth said, "It was really annoying."

They'd reached the school gates now and got out of their carriage. Elizabeth noticed a line gathering, something that hadn't happened before. As they headed forward, Elizabeth noticed Malfoy up ahead. He smirked at them, though the smirk faded when he noticed Harry was with them and he suddenly glared.

"He probably expected me to end up frozen until I got back to London," Harry said bitterly.

"Good thing that didn't happen," Ron said as the line slowly moved forward.

Once they got to the gate, Elizabeth saw why a line had formed: Students were being searched as they entered the grounds. Argus Filch, the school's caretaker, was at the gate with a long black rod, telling students to turn out their pockets and going through their bags as they approached. Standing next to him was an Auror that Elizabeth recognized as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, though she couldn't remember the woman's name.

"Security has tightened, hasn't it?" Ron asked once they were through the gates and on their way to the castle doors.

"It's not surprising," Elizabeth said, "Not with everything going on."

Once they were in the castle, Elizabeth bade her friends goodbye and headed for the Hufflepuff table, quickly finding Susan with Ernie MacMillan and Hannah Abbott.

"Good summer?" Ernie asked as Elizabeth sat down.

"As good as it can be," Elizabeth said, "You?"

"Same," Ernie said, "Susan was just telling us about Sarah."

"How's she doing?" Elizabeth asked, turning towards her friend.

"Still really nervous," Susan said with a sigh, "I'll be glad when the Sorting is over. I hope she's in Hufflepuff..."

"We'll all keep our fingers crossed," Hannah said, "And welcome her with open arms."

Susan grinned a little at that. At the same time, Professor McGonagall came out of a side room with a stool and a battered old hat, a long line of terrified-looking first years following behind her. Everyone grew quiet as McGonagall placed the hat on the stool, then a moment later the hat's brim opened and it began to sing.

Every year they had a new song from the Sorting Hat. Usually it was a light-hearted song explaining the values of each House. This year, however, the Sorting Hat gave the same message as the year before: the four Houses needed to stand together. Elizabeth glanced to the Slytherin table and felt that the Hat was asking for the impossible.

Once the Hat was done singing, the Sorting began. Elizabeth sat tense as the few A names were called, then finally...

"Bones, Sarah," Professor McGonagall called.

Terrified little Sarah didn't move at first, but at the nudging of a boy next to her she finally moved forward, her face stark-white against her dark hair. She looked as if she were going to be sick as Professor McGonagall dropped the Hat down over her head. She'd barely let go when the Hat called out a loud "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Susan sighed in relief as the Hufflepuff table cheered. As soon as the Hat was off her head, Sarah scanned the Hufflepuff table, then bolted for Susan. She immediately took the seat next to her sister, pulling the hood of her robes over her head as if that could make her disappear.

"Congratulations, Sarah," Susan said, hugging her sister, "You're officially a Hufflepuff."

"And Ernie and I are prefects," Elizabeth said, "We'll be showing you the way to the common room once the feast is over."

Sarah, still half-hidden under the hood of her robe, glanced to Susan.

"Can't you show me?" she asked quietly. Elizabeth could count on one hand the number of times Sarah had spoken around her.

"I'm sorry," Susan said, "It's tradition that you're shown by the prefects. It's how I was introduced to the Hufflepuff common room as well. You know Elizabeth, she'll take care of you."

Sarah frowned but gave a small nod, staring down at the empty gold plate in front of her. Susan kept an arm around her sister as she looked up at the others and gave a small grin.

They were quiet for the rest of the Sorting, though Elizabeth was eager for a good meal. She'd only had a couple of Pumpkin Pasties on the train and her stomach was growling. She was incredibly happy when Dumbledore announced the feast was beginning and food started to magically appear on the table.

"Come on, Sarah, you need to eat something," Susan said, putting some food on a plate for her sister, "You're going to have a long first day tomorrow."

Sarah frowned, picking up a fork and poking lightly at the food.

"You'll feel better once you make a few friends," Hannah said, leaning towards Sarah, "You'll be sharing a room with four other girls. It'll be like a sleepover every day! I'm sure you'll get along with them."

Sarah didn't look too happy about that, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she kept her focus on her food. She stayed quiet through the entire feast as Elizabeth and the others chatted about their summers and what N.E.W.T. classes they'd be taking. Elizabeth was unsurprised to hear that Ernie had achieved six Outstandings and four Exceeds Expectations. He was nearly as obsessed with his grades as Hermione was. Hannah hadn't done as well—none of them could match Ernie's grades—but she had managed to pass all her classes with at least Acceptables and Exceeds Expectations, and one Outstanding in Herbology.

As they were theorizing how much harder the N.E.W.T. classes would be over desserts, Elizabeth noticed Susan had been unnaturally quiet. Elizabeth could understand why—Susan had barely scraped an Acceptable in Potions. It meant she couldn't continue a class required in becoming a Curse Breaker. Elizabeth glanced towards the Gryffindor table, knowing Harry had to be feeling the same disappointment. Losing his chance to be an Auror had to be as hard on him as losing being a Curse breaker was on Susan.

The Great Hall grew quiet and Elizabeth looked up as Dumbledore rose to his feet.

"The very best of evenings to you!" he called, holding his arms out to his side in greeting.

There was an echo of gasps through the room—Elizabeth among them. Her eyes widened as she stared at Dumbledore's right hand. It was black and withered, as if it were made of burnt raisins now. Elizabeth felt sick looking at it and Hannah had gone pale.

"Nothing to worry about," Dumbledore said, shaking the sleeve of his robes so that it hid his hand, "Now...to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you. And Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, though her gaze kept going to where Dumbledore's hand was hidden. She wondered what could have happened and if Harry knew. She'd have to ask him later.

"Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual," Dumbledore went on, "We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise.

"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn—" Dumbledore paused to motion to a large, balding man with a walrus mustache as he stood up and bowed to the crowd, "—is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

" _Potions_?"

Elizabeth stared in shock as several people echoed the word in disbelief. She looked towards where Professor Snape was sitting at the table. He was still here. Slowly, Elizabeth began to put two-and-two together and it made her feel sick.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile," Dumbledore went on, and his next words confirmed Elizabeth's fear, "Will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"No!" Harry cried out loudly from the Gryffindor table. Several people turned to him, but Elizabeth couldn't blame Harry's outburst. She sat there, staring at the smirk on Snape's face and felt her blood boil.

"Professor Snape, teach us Defense?" Hannah asked, her face pale, "I...Is this a joke?"

"It doesn't seem like it," Ernie said slowly, "I can't believe this..."

Dumbledore cleared his voice, waving his good hand for silence. Slowly, the Great Hall grew quiet again as everyone turned back to Dumbledore.

"Now, as everybody in this Hall knows," Dumbledore said slowly, looking around the room, "Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining strength."

Sarah gave a small squeak at the name, but otherwise the Hall was deafeningly quiet. Susan hugged her sister close to her.

"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is," Dumbledore went on, "And how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them—in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of the staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety."

Dumbledore paused to look around the room, then gave everyone a smile.

"But now," he said more cheerfully, "Your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

"I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow, Sarah," Susan said as everyone rose to their feet, "Go on with Elizabeth and Ernie."

Sarah kept her face hidden in the hood of her robes, but nodded and followed Elizabeth and Ernie as they rounded up the Hufflepuff first years. As they had the year before, the two explained to the first years about how to reach the Hufflepuff common room and exactly which barrel to tap with their wand, as well as the rhythm to tap the barrel with to enter the Hufflepuff common room.

Once in the warm and cozy room filled with overstuffed armchairs, Elizabeth led the girls to the rooms set aside for first year girls. She made sure the girls got settled in their rooms—paying extra attention to Sarah—then made her way to the sixth year girls room she shared with Susan, Hannah, and Megan Jones.

It'd been a year since Sally-Anne had left Hogwarts, but Elizabeth still couldn't help but feel it was odd to see the empty bed next to Megan's. Elizabeth knew there was no way Sally-Anne would have been back with the war now out in the open, but it was still hard to see her gone.

"How's Sarah?" Susan asked as she was placing a few moving photos on her nightstand.

"I think she'll be okay," Elizabeth said, changing to her pajamas, "When I was leaving, one of the girls was trying to talk to her. Maybe with some persistence, she'll make a friend."

Susan nodded, though she didn't look fully reassured. Elizabeth knew how shy Sarah was, but she'd never seen Sarah in an environment with so many her own age. Maybe she'd finally open up some.

Eager for sleep, however, Elizabeth crawled into her familiar bed, where Cream was already curled up at the pillow. She reached up and scratched the cat behind the ears, bade her roommates good night, then settled down for a good night's sleep.

"A good night's sleep" became an unobtainable thing, however. Almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, Elizabeth found herself in the corridors of Hogwarts. Shouts and yells echoed around her. A sense of urgency was gripping Elizabeth and she found herself running down the corridors. No matter how quickly she ran or how many turns she made, she could never find the source of the yelling. She found herself rounding a corner only to have a wall up ahead explode in a flash of light—and Elizabeth suddenly found herself lying in her bed, listening to the soft snores of Megan Jones nearby.

Elizabeth lay still, staring at the canopy over her bed. Her heart was racing as if she were still running through the corridors somewhere above, trying to chase down the screams from her dream.

She hadn't had a dream like that in months, not since the ones foreshadowing her aunt's death. Now, on her first night back at Hogwarts, a new dream was coming. All Elizabeth could think about was the stress the reoccurring dreams had put on her the year before. Would all this be happening again? Last year, it had started simply as a whispering archway that invaded normal dreams and slowly evolved into dueling shadows. Now, it was straight into a dream of something happening. Something was coming.

' _You're reading too much into it,'_ Elizabeth thought. She reminded herself of how she'd been so determined to put a meaning to her dreams last year and ended up misreading them. Maybe this time that's all her dream was: a dream. There was definitely enough going on in her life that would give her bad dreams.

Elizabeth was determined not to let things get away from her this time. Instead, she rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes, willing herself to go back to sleep. This time, she drifted off without any dreams.


	8. First Day Back

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter is a day late. Tuesday night when I went to upload it, it turned out my file was corrupted so I spent the last two days completely rewriting this entire chapter from scratch. Thankfully, I remembered most of what I wanted to have.

On a side note, I now have a twitter account specifically for updates about my fanfics. (find me at WriterKrisPilar) It will be where I mention any unexpected delays or hiatuses or when I hit writer's block, so I welcome anyone who wishes to follow. Shameless bribery aside, I might occasionally post previews of upcoming works or things that inspire certain aspects of my characters. Or even when I've been bored and playing around on Sims or online doll makers and created my characters there.

Anyway, on to the chapter!

* * *

 _ **Chapter Eight:**_

 _ **First Day Back**_

By the time Elizabeth woke up the next morning, her nightmare was a distant memory. In fact, she wasn't completely sure whether she'd imagined the dream or not. Elizabeth felt much better about herself as she got dressed and headed upstairs with Susan, Megan, and Hannah for breakfast. As soon as they sat down, little Sarah came running over from down the table and took the seat next to her sister. Susan gave the others a small smile, but didn't protest her sister joining them.

Once breakfast was finished, Sarah was reluctant to leave, but one of her fellow Hufflepuffs led her off towards History of Magic. Elizabeth watched as the Great Hall emptied save for the sixth-years who now had to talk with their Head of House about their new classes.

Elizabeth was immediately cleared for the four classes she wanted to continue: Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, and Herbology. She was surprised, however, when Professor Sprout suggested one more class.

"Why didn't you sign for Muggle Studies?" the Head-of-House asked, "I recall it being one of your favorite classes."

"Er...I only got an Acceptable in Muggle Studies," Elizabeth said slowly, "I figured I couldn't continue to N.E.W.T. And one less class could keep my schedule lighter..."

Professor Sprout gave Elizabeth a soft grin, the familiar sort Elizabeth had seen over the past five years when her Herbology professor was determined to help a student see their worth.

"You'll be surprised how much an understanding of the Muggle world will help as a reporter," she said, "And Professor Burbage is perfectly willing to accept anyone who wishes to learn more, as long as they passed their O.W.L."

"So you think I should continue Muggle Studies?" Elizabeth asked.

"I think it's up to you," Professor Sprout said, "But it can be very enlightening if you decide to continue."

Elizabeth nodded slowly.

"I think I'll continue Muggle Studies as well," she said, "I mean, I even bought the book for the course because I thought it would be fun to read."

"Then it seems continuing Muggle Studies is a good idea," Professor Sprout said, signing at the bottom of the parchment, "The class is starting soon, so you should hurry along."

Elizabeth nodded, taking her schedule and hurrying to the Hufflepuff common room to pick up her copy of _My Year as a Muggle_ , then made her way on towards the Muggle Studies classroom. Susan was already there, as were a handful of Ravenclaws. None of the Gryffindors had continued the class, and Elizabeth and Susan were the only Hufflepuffs. It seemed as their already tiny class was cut in half now, barely ten students continuing—Ernie had wanted to, but he thought it would be better to focus on the subjects he needed to become a Healer.

"Welcome to N.E.W.T. level Muggle Studies!" Professor Burbage said once everyone was settled, "I want you all to know that this class will continue to be the fun it has been the past three years, but it will also be more challenging. We will also be continuing from last year in having this class done in the Muggle way rather than with parchment and quills, and we will not use our wands for anything while in this room. I want you all to understand better what it's like to be a Muggle."

Their first day, however, was an easy class. They mainly read the introduction of their text book and took notes. Elizabeth learned that Professor Burbage intended for them to mimic various scenarios from the book during class over the year. Elizabeth was looking forward to it.

"Can you imagine cooking without magic?" Susan asked as they left the classroom an hour later, starting down the stairs for Defense Against the Dark Arts, "I'm so used mum letting me use spells to cut things up or get the stove going. How do Muggles manage?"

"It's going to be interesting to try," Elizabeth said, "I spent a couple of weeks with Hermione last summer. Muggle homes are really different."

When they reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Elizabeth saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already there—Hermione's arms loaded with books and her frizzy hair already falling loose from its ponytail.

"We got so much homework for Runes," Hermione said, her face lined with worry, "A fifteen-inch essay, two translations, and I've got to read these by Wednesday!"

"Shame," Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"You wait," Hermione snapped, "I bet Snape gives us loads."

As if summoned by his name, the classroom door opened and Snape was there in the doorway, his usual greasy black hair framing his narrow face. Everyone fell silent as Snape studied them.

"Inside," he ordered.

Elizabeth entered the room, immediately shuddering. Snape had left the classroom dark, the curtains all pulled closed so the only light was from the candles and torches around the room. The walls were decorated by morbid artwork of men afflicted by various curses, all of them withering in pain. Elizabeth noticed Neville's eyes lingered on a painting of a man silently screaming in pain, his body jerking and contorting in odd ways.

Elizabeth herself tried not to look at the paintings, taking a seat between Hermione and Susan—the latter giving Elizabeth a weak smile. Elizabeth returned it, but didn't dare speak as they started to pull out their copies of _Confronting the Faceless_.

"I have not asked you to take out your books," Snape said sharply as he closed the door, "I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention."

Susan fidgeted a little as she pushed her book back in her bag. Hermione was sitting so straight, Elizabeth wondered if she had used a Permanent Sticking Charm to fuse a pole to her back. Snape walked across the room, studying each student in turn.

"You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe," Snape said, "Naturally, these teachers will have all had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be much more advanced."

' _We'll prove you wrong,'_ Elizabeth thought, her gaze following Snape as he walked around the room. The entire class was still, all their eyes focused on Snape. Elizabeth glanced away just for a moment to see Harry was glaring—and so was Neville, his face also mixed with determination.

"The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing-and eternal," Snape went on, "Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible.

"Your defenses must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo." Snape waved a hand to the portraits of torture on the walls as he passed them. "These pictures give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse—" Snape paused to point at the painting that Neville had been transfixed with earlier. "—The feel of the Dementor's Kiss—" Snape pointed out a picture of a motionless man, his eyes blank and unseeing though he was still breathing. "—or provoke the aggression of the Inferius." Snape finished by motioning to a picture of a mangled, bloody thing that only vaguely resembled a human shape. Elizabeth felt sick.

"Has an Inferius been seen, then?" Parvati Patil—a Gryffindor girl—asked weakly. "Is it definite, is he using them?"

"The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past," Snape answered, "Which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again. Now..."

Snape had reached his desk and turned, facing the classroom with a narrowed gaze.

"You are, I believe, complete novices in the use of nonverbal spells," he said, "What is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?"

Unsurprisingly, Hermione shot her hand in the air. As Snape looked around, Elizabeth could see Ernie's eyes squeezed shut the way they did when he was trying to remember something.

"Very well," Snape finally said reluctantly when no other hands went up, "Miss Granger?"

"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to preform," Hermione said quickly, "Which gives you a split-second advantage."

"An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six," Snape waved a hand vaguely. "But correct in essentials. Yes, those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some lack."

Snape finished by letting his gaze linger on Harry, who stared back defiantly. Elizabeth was lost in thought, however. She had expected Snape's lessons to be as bad as he was with Potions but there was something about the way that he described the Dark Arts and how to fight them. How to counter them it required quick-thinking and cunning, not just learning a counter-curse. It reminded Elizabeth of what Harry had told them during the D.A. It was an unnerving thought.

"You will now divide into pairs," Snape said, "One partner will attempt to jinx the other _without speaking_. The other will attempt to jinx _in equal silence_. Carry on."

Elizabeth decided to pair up with Susan. Even though both had learned quite a few jinxes and how to produce a Shield Charm during lessons in the D.A., none of them had learned anything about nonverbal spells.

"So, I take on the jinx side?" Elizabeth asked, "I've gotten pretty good with the Leg-Locker."

"Sounds good to me," Susan said, taking a few steps back and raising her wand with a deep breath, "Okay, let's go."

Elizabeth nodded, raising her own wand. As Snape made his way around the room, Elizabeth could tell a lot of students were merely muttering spells from the corner of their mouth instead of actually trying. Elizabeth was determined to give it a real go, however. She took a deep breath and raised her wand, keeping her mouth tightly shut.

' _Locomotor Mortis,'_ Elizabeth thought, waving her wand the proper way. Nothing happened. Elizabeth frowned, trying again but still nothing happened.

Hermione, nearby, had predictably already mastered a nonverbal Shield Charm. Elizabeth sighed, figuring she'd better buckle down and try harder. She'd never been that good with spells—unless it involved Transfiguration—but she'd improved a great deal during the D.A. She could do this.

Elizabeth steeled herself, taking another deep breath as she studied Susan across from her. She could do this. Elizabeth gripped her wand tightly, starting to raise it when she heard Snape nearby.

"Pathetic, Weasley," he said. Elizabeth and Susan both turned to see he'd approached where Ron and Harry were partnered up.

"Here," he said, pulling out his wand, "Let me show you—"

" _Protego_!" Harry shouted, producing a Shield Charm so powerful that Snape went stumbling backwards into a desk. The entire room was quiet now, everyone watching Harry and Snape.

"Do you remember me telling you we are practicing nonverbal spells, Potter?" Snape demanded as he straightened himself and fixed his robes.

"Yes," Harry responded.

"Yes, _sir_."

"There's no need to call me 'sir', Professor."

Susan and Hermione both gave small gasps, Susan's eyes widening a little. Elizabeth noticed Ron give Harry a bright grin.

"Detention, Saturday night, my office," Snape said sharply, "I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter...Not even _'the Chosen One'_. Everyone, to your seats. Since Mr. Potter has shown us that I have thought too much of you to expect a group of sixth years to preform nonverbal magic, which any fourth year should be able to do easily."

Elizabeth glanced towards Harry as she took her seat between Hermione and Susan again. Snape had gone to the front of the class, pointing his wand at the chalkboard.

"Copy down these notes. There will be no talking."

The classroom was indeed quiet for the rest of the lesson. As soon as the bell rang and they were assigned their homework, Elizabeth hurried to catch up with Ron, Harry, and Hermione as they were heading out to break.

"You really shouldn't have done that, Harry," Hermione was saying, "What made you?"

"He tried to jinx me, in case you didn't notice!" Harry said sharply, "I had enough of that during those Occlumency lessons! Why doesn't he use another guinea pig for a change? What's Dumbledore playing at, anyway, letting him teach Defense? Did you hear him talking about the Dark Arts? He loves them! All that unfixed, indestructible stuff—"

"Well, you told us basically the same thing," Elizabeth pointed out, "In the D.A."

"Elizabeth is right," Hermione said, "You said facing this isn't about memorizing a bunch of spells, it was just you and your brain and your guts—well, wasn't that what Snape was saying? That it really comes down to being brave and quick-thinking?"

"Exactly," Elizabeth added.

Harry stared at them in disbelief as a fourth-year Gryffindor came running up towards them with a piece of rolled parchment.

"For you, Harry," he said, handing the parchment over, "Listen, I heard you're the new Captain. When are you holding trials?"

It took Elizabeth a moment to realize the boy was talking about Quidditch. She smirked as she glanced to Harry, who didn't look that pleased to see the boy.

"I'm not sure yet," he said, "I'll let you know."

"Oh, right. I was hoping it'd be this weekend—"

Harry had already started off. Elizabeth gave the boy an apologetic smile before hurrying after her friend, Ron and Hermione along with her. Sometimes Harry could be incredibly rude.

Once they were around the corner, Harry unrolled the parchment and the others gathered closer to read over his shoulder:

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I would like to start our private lessons this Saturday. Kindly come along to my office at 8 P.M. I hope you are enjoying your first day back at school._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

 _P.S. I enjoy Acid Pops._

"He enjoys Acid Pops?" Ron asked, sounding utterly confused.

"It's the password to get past the gargoyle outside his study," Harry whispered, "Ha! Snape's not going to be pleased...I won't be able to do his detention!"

"What do you think he's going to teach you?" Elizabeth asked as they stopped near a window.

"Maybe some new type of jinx and hexes," Ron said excitedly, "Stuff even the Death Eaters don't know."

"If there's anything like that, it's most likely illegal," Hermione said with an impatient sigh, "He's most likely going to teach Harry some advanced Defensive magic. Whatever it is, you'll tell us, right?"

"Of course," Harry said, glancing at Elizabeth, "You still have that mirror, right? If you're all still up on Saturday, we'll talk about it as soon as my lesson is over. If not, then Sunday morning."

As break ended, Hermione left for Arithmancy while Ron and Harry said they were going to start on their Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. Elizabeth, after two classes and an option for a break, was willing to take it.

"I'll meet up with you after lunch," she said, "I can start then."

"Well, you get the afternoon off," Ron complained, "We have Potions."

Elizabeth stared in surprise.

"You're able to continue Potions?" she asked. Harry nodded.

"Professor McGonagall told us that Professor Slughorn was willing to accept those with Exceeds Expectations, so Ron and I are continuing. Still going to try and be Aurors."

"That's great!" Elizabeth said, "You'll have to let me know how Slughorn is as a teacher. I'll see you later."

Elizabeth gave them a grin before turning and heading off down the corridor. The fact that Harry and Ron were going to be able to follow their dream career was an uplifting thought. She hummed to herself some as she headed off towards the entrance hall, thinking she could take a walk around the grounds before she got started on homework. Maybe she could spend her break visiting Hagrid. She hadn't gotten a chance to talk to him the night before, after all.

As she reached the familiar hut, Hagrid was outside organizing what looked like logs of dead wood. For some reason, however, Hagrid was keeping the wood in a pen.

"Morning, Hagrid," Elizabeth approached the pen slowly, then received a shock one of the logs suddenly shot forward, sharp teeth barred. Elizabeth stumbled backwards as Hagrid snatched the log around the middle and pulled it back. Several of the other logs started to stir as well.

"What in the world are those things?" Elizabeth asked as Hagrid came over.

"Dugbogs," Hagrid said proudly, "They're fer my first N.E.W.T. class o' the year. Hopin' Harry, Ron, and Hermione'll appreciate them."

Elizabeth gave a weak grin, looking back to the logs that seemed to thin their time was better spent fighting each other. Hagrid yelled at them to stop, grabbing a long wooden pole and separating out the dugbogs.

Elizabeth wasn't all that sure Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be continuing Care of Magical Creatures. From all they told her, they tried to do so well in the class for Hagrid's sake. They didn't really have an interest in taking the class further after their O.W.L.s. Seeing how excited Hagrid was, Elizabeth felt horrible.

"Are...Are you sure they'll be taking N.E.W.T. level?" Elizabeth asked slowly, "I mean, our N.E.W.T. years are going to be really difficult and—"

"Why wouldn' they want ter?" Hagrid asked, turning to Elizabeth with a confused expression.

"I'm sure they _want_ to!" Elizabeth lied, feeling guilty doing so, "But, it's N.E.W.T. year and they might not be _able_ to with their other classes—"

Hagrid cut Elizabeth off with a grunt, the confused look fading from his face and Elizabeth could tell even through the beard that he was frowning.

"No, I get it," he said, "'Scuse me, I got ter get ready for my next class."

Without another word, Hagrid marched across the yard and into his house. Elizabeth felt even worse than before as she stared after him. She wanted to go up to his door and insist he come back out, but Hagrid was a stubborn man who didn't take bad news well.

Elizabeth sighed, turning away reluctantly. She started back towards the castle, but stopped when she noticed Neville was sitting under a tree near the lake, a book in his lap. Elizabeth slowly made her way over, stopping close by, her hands behind her back.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked. Neville looked up in surprise, then nodded.

"Sure," he said, closing his book—Elizabeth saw it was the new Herbology textbook, "You're not with Harry and Ron? Or Susan?"

Elizabeth settled herself down in the grass next to Neville, smoothing down her skirt and grinning at him.

"Susan's in our common room," she said, "I wanted some fresh air. And I spent most my summer around Harry and Ron, I needed a break."

"Oh..." Neville said, "I thought...I mean, you and Harry..."

Elizabeth felt her cheeks redden a little as she looked out over the lake.

"I'm still friends with Harry, but we broke up," she said, realizing Neville wouldn't have known the news. She hadn't gotten a chance to talk to him over the summer. "We just realized we worked better as friends."

"Oh, sorry."

Elizabeth shrugged, tucking back some of her hair.

"I'm sorry I never saw you over the summer," she said softly, glancing back to Neville, "Mum didn't like the idea of me staying at the St. Mungo's tea room when she was working. Not when we have Ursula to worry about now..."

Neville stared down at his book, picking at the spine of it.

"I was a bit worried when you weren't around," he said, "I mean, I saw your mum working on one of the days I visited my parents. I asked her and she explained things."

Elizabeth stared at Neville in surprise. The fact that he thought enough of their friendship to worry about her when she wasn't around was surprising. After all, even though they talked a few times over holidays, Elizabeth and Neville had never really been close. She hadn't actually started spending more time around him until joining Dumbledore's Army the year before. Elizabeth had no idea how to respond to that, so instead she changed the subject.

"It's weird not being in a class," Elizabeth said, "Isn't it? I'm so used to eating breakfast and immediately starting the day."

"Gran's not going to be happy that I'm not taking as many classes," Neville muttered, picking at his book again.

"Your gran can get over it," Elizabeth said, more venomously than she meant. She'd never liked Neville's grandmother much. Especially given the way she was constantly comparing Neville to others.

"Sorry," Elizabeth went on, feeling her face flush again, "But she needs to learn that you're _not_ your parents, you're _you_. And who you are is pretty damn amazing."

"I'm not that great," Neville muttered.

"Of course you are," Elizabeth said, "Just because you don't see it or your gran doesn't see it doesn't mean others don't."

Neville sighed, running a hand through his hair, not saying anything. Elizabeth fell silent herself. She just hoped some of her words got through to Neville. He was a lot stronger than he gave himself credit for. She only had to look at all Neville had done the past year to prove that.

"You improved so much with the D.A., Neville," Elizabeth pointed out, "You helped jinx a group of Slytherins so we could escape and help Harry. Not to mention all you did at the Department of Mysteries. You lasted just as long as Harry, and all you got out of it was a bloody nose. You faired so much better than all of us."

Neville was frowning, staring down at his book. Elizabeth shook her head a little, turning to look out at the lake. A loud bell echoed through the grounds and Elizabeth gave a little jump, looking down at her watch. It was time for lunch already?

"We should head on up," Elizabeth said, "I mean, it'd be good to get a good lunch before diving into Snape's homework."

"Yeah," Neville said, getting up and dusting off his robes—Elizabeth did the same. "He did give us a lot, didn't he?"

"Wish he hadn't," Elizabeth said as they started across the grounds, "But he won't be getting to me, not after the D.A. I'm going to prove to him I'm good at this."

"Same here," Neville said with a determination Elizabeth rarely heard from him. In fact, last time she'd heard that tone was when he said he would be coming with Harry and the others to the Ministry of Magic. Elizabeth grinned at him.

"See? It's not that hard," she said, giving Neville a playful nudge, "Just keep that determination with everything else and you'll be fine."

Neville's face went red and that determined look turned to one of embarrassment. Elizabeth sighed as they reached the Great Hall and went their separate ways—Neville to Gryffindor and Elizabeth to Hufflepuff.

After lunch, Elizabeth spent her entire afternoon in the library with Susan, getting to work on their Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. They were joined halfway through by Justin, though none of them spoke much—except to complain about Snape. By the time dinner came, all three were eager for an excuse to stop.

"I was hoping we'd be done with Professor Snape," Justin said with a deep sigh as Elizabeth joined her friends at the Hufflepuff table.

"I think he's a lot tougher with Defense Against the Dark Arts than he ever was with Potions," Hannah said, obviously fine with just jumping into the conversation.

"That's probably just the N.E.W.T. year. Even Professor Burbage said she will be coming down more," Susan said as she sat down—as soon as they got settled in seats, Sarah came hurrying over and took the seat next to her sister.

"You're going to have to start eating with your classmates eventually, Sarah," Susan said gently. Sarah's response was to pull the hood of her robes over her head. Susan gave a sigh, turning back to the others.

"How's Potions as a class now?" Justin asked Ernie, "Who else is in the class?"

"Well, I'm the only Hufflepuff," Ernie said, a bit of pride in his voice, "Anthony, Lisa, Terry, and Sue from Ravenclaw. Then Nott, Davis, Greengrass, and Malfoy from Slytherin. And, of course, Hermione, Harry, and Ron from Gryffindor."

"So it's a pretty small class?" Hannah asked, "How's Professor Slughorn?"

"He's actually really good," Ernie said, "He's got a more hands-on way of teaching. He actually showed us the potions instead of just told us about them. He showed us about Polyjuice Potion, Veritaserum, Amortentia, and Felix Felicis."

"Okay, I know Veritaserum and Felix Felicis," Megan said, making a face, "What're the other two?"

"You should know Polyjuice Potion," Susan said, "It's been in those warning pamphlets going around."

"I haven't been paying much attention to them," Megan replied, "Mum says they're full of rubbish."

"You should know about Polyjuice, though," Elizabeth countered, "If someone drinks that, they could disguise themselves as someone you care about and be able to attack you. That's something you should be on your guard about."

Megan paled at that, shaking her head a little.

"But you'd know if someone was an imposter, wouldn't you?"

"They can look and sound exactly like someone else," Elizabeth said, "Remember how we had a teacher under the disguise of an Auror for a whole year?"

"Oh yeah..." Megan said slowly.

"I do like Professor Slughorn, though," Ernie said, getting back on track of the earlier conversation, "Plus he's able to bring out more than Snape could in students. Just look at Harry."

"What're you talking about?" Elizabeth asked, looking up in surprise.

"Harry was amazing in Potions today," Ernie said, "Professor Slughorn gave us this little challenge of who could make the best potion. I, of course, would have liked to win but I was sure it would have been Hermione. Harry beat all of us, though. You should have heard the praise Professor Slughorn had given him."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, then looked towards the Gryffindor table. It looked like Harry was arguing with Hermione. She excused herself and headed over just as Ginny had arrived and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Did I hear you right?" Ginny was asking, "You've been taking orders from something someone wrote in a book, Harry?"

"What?" Elizabeth asked, "Harry, what's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing!" Harry said suddenly, "It's not like, you know, Riddle's diary. It's just an old textbook someone's scribbled on."

"But you're doing what it says?" Ginny asked sharply.

"I just tried a few of the tips written in the margins," Harry said defensively, "Honestly, there's nothing funny—"

"Ginny's got a point," Hermione said, snatching a battered copy of Advanced Potions Making from Harry's bag, "We ought to check that there's nothing odd about it. I mean, all these funny instructions, who knows?"

She tapped the book with her wand and recited " _Specialis Revelio_!" but nothing happened.

"Finished?" Harry asked sharply, "Or d'you want to wait and see if it does a few backflips?"

"It seems all right," Hermione said slowly, studying the old book, "I mean, it really does seem to be...just a textbook."

"Good. Then I'll have it back."

Harry snatched the book away, but it slipped from his hand and hit the floor. Elizabeth scooped it up before he could, seeing something written in the front cover in a vaguely familiar handwriting:

" _This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince_ ," Elizabeth said slowly, "Who's that?"

"Probably just the guy who used to own the book," Harry said, snatching the book away from Elizabeth.

"Bit full of himself, isn't he?" Elizabeth asked, "Calling himself a prince. We don't have royalty."

"Who says it's a guy?" Hermione asked, It might have been a girl, you know."

"The Half-Blood _Prince_ , Hermione," Harry emphasized, "How many girls have been Princes?"

Hermione glared, but didn't have an answer. Elizabeth watched as Harry put the book back in his bag.

"Just be careful with that thing, Harry," Elizabeth said and Harry scoffed.

"It's a book, Elizabeth," he said, "Just a book some student wrote in. Hermione already showed it's not hiding anything."

Elizabeth sighed. It was clear Harry wasn't going to listen to reason.

"Fine," she said, "I should get back to the Hufflepuff table. See you later."

Elizabeth turned, heading back to where her Housemates were just finishing dinner.


	9. Unnerving Events

**A/N:** I now have a twitter! (WriterKrisPilar) I welcome anyone who follows me or my stories here to follow me there as well. I'll often post updates on my writing progress or when unexpected delays come up.

* * *

 _ **Chapter Nine:**_

 _ **Unnerving Events**_

"How do Muggles manage any of this without magic?" Susan asked with a groan as they left the Muggle Studies classroom Saturday evening just before curfew, "They have to be extremely strong."

Elizabeth gave a sigh, wiping sweat from her forehead. A week into the term, she learned that Professor Burbage had not been joking about the work getting harder and having assignments to act as Muggles. They'd been assigned to come Saturday evening and rearrange the classroom as part of their first real assignment of the class. It had been a long, hard, exhausting job and Susan and Elizabeth were now starting their way down towards the Hufflepuff common room.

"I swear, N.E.W.T. year will be the death of us," Elizabeth said, "If anything, because of Muggle Studies."

Susan gave a small laugh at that, brushing back some loose strands of hair.

"Listen, why don't we stop by the kitchens on the way back?" she asked, "We can get some pumpkin juice and a snack after all that work."

"Why don't you get something for us?" Elizabeth asked, "I want to get a bath before doing anything."

"Oh, a bath sounds so nice..." Susan sighed, "Too bad I'm not allowed in the prefect baths. We just have showers."

Elizabeth gave Susan an apologetic grin and the subject dropped as they went to the Hufflepuff common room and Elizabeth grabbed a change of clothes and her bathrobe, then left for the fifth floor.

She did enjoy the prefect bathroom. Considering the room was enchanted to never allow more than one person in the room when the tub was filled, it was a great place to get privacy and think—as long as you did the proper spells to block the room and all the drains from a certain weepy ghost.

After a long, hot, relaxing bath scented with her favorite soaps—lavender and peppermint—Elizabeth wrapped herself in her bathrobe and used a quick spell to dry her hair before pushing on her glasses. She was about to let the water from the tub when she heard Harry's voice coming from the pocket of her school robes. It took Elizabeth a moment to remember that Harry had his first lesson with Dumbledore earlier. Eager to learn what Dumbledore had been teaching Harry, Elizabeth hurried over to her school robes and pulled the small, round mirror from its pocket, quickly finding Harry, Ron, and Hermione's faces pressed together on the small glass.

"Are you somewhere you won't be overheard?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Elizabeth responded, "I'm by myself and there's no chance of someone walking in. What's Dumbledore teaching you? Spells? Counter-curses?"

"Actually, no," Harry said as Ron and Hermione disappeared from the glass—probably to give Harry room, "He's showing me memories using that pensieve of his."

"What?" Elizabeth asked. She sat on the floor of the bathroom, resting her back against the wall, "How will that help anything?"

"I'm not sure," Harry said, "But Dumbledore thinks knowing more about Voldemort's past will help understand him better."

"Why would you want to understand You-Know-Who?" Ron's voice came from out of sight on the other side of the window, "You don't have to understand someone to defeat him."

"Dumbledore thinks it's important," Harry said simply, "He said knowing all this will help me survive."

An uneasy silence filled the air. It was a reminder that all of this was very, very real. Of course, they all knew it was but sometimes it was easy to pretend they were just regular students. Whenever a reminder came of the fact that Harry Potter was, indeed, "The Chosen One" it meant they had to face the fact that he was destined to fight against Voldemort.

"So, what did you learn?" Hermione asked after a moment, her voice quiet.

"We visited this old shack where Voldemort's mother used to live with her brother and father—"

"'Voldemort's mother'," Elizabeth echoed slowly, "Somehow, it's so strange to think he even had parents..."

"Yeah, I always expected he just spawned from under a rock," Ron added. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"Well, he didn't," Harry said to Ron, "Voldemort's mother was this woman named Merope Gaunt and a descendant of Slytherin."

"Well, she'd have to be," Hermione said, "Voldemort's father was a Muggle, wasn't he?"

"Merope's brother had been arrested and sent to Azkaban for attacking Tom Riddle Senior," Harry went on, "Voldemort's father. And Merope's father was sent to Azkaban for attacking Ministry officials who came to arrest him. Merope took it as her moment of freedom—I don't think she was all that well-treated by her family. She didn't seem to be good at magic and her father was very, very proud of his pureblood heritage and the fact they were descendants of Slytherins. He thought Merope was barely better than a Squib."

"That had to be a horrible way to live," Elizabeth said slowly, "But she got out, didn't she? I mean, she left and married the man her brother attacked. If she hadn't—"

"She would have never given birth to a monster," Hermione said quietly.

Harry's face grew tight at that, but he nodded.

"She did leave the house she grew up in," Harry said, "And married Tom Riddle Senior, but it was against his will. Dumbledore didn't have actual memories to show of it, but he does know that within a year of running off with Merope, Riddle Senior returned home claiming to have been tricked into the marriage. Dumbledore thinks Merope was dosing Tom with a love potion, but after she became pregnant she stopped giving it to him because she thought he would love her naturally. He didn't. He instead abandoned her, went back to his parents and never looked back."

Elizabeth felt sick. On one side, she was disgusted at what Merope had done. She forced a love potion on an unwilling Muggle to marry him, and kept him dosed for nearly a year. On the other hand, she pitied the woman. She apparently lived a horrible life and only had one short moment of happiness—one she only had because she forced it. Then it, too, was ripped away. Merope was left alone and pregnant.

"What happened to her?" Elizabeth asked softly.

"I don't really know, other than she died," Harry said, "Voldemort was raised in an orphanage."

"Maybe you'll learn more on your next lesson," Hermione said from out of sight.

"Maybe," Harry said with a sigh, "Anyway, you should get going, Elizabeth. Anywhere you'd be where you won't be overheard has to be out of your common room or dormitory. It's nearly curfew, you don't want to get into trouble."

"Good point," Elizabeth said, deciding it was better not to say she was sitting on a bathroom floor, "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Elizabeth put away her mirror and changed into her pajamas before gathering her clothes. With a quick wave of her wand to empty the tub and lift the enchantments to keep Myrtle out, Elizabeth turned and left for the Hufflepuff common room.

 **xxxxx**

The second week back at Hogwarts was accompanied by even more work than the first. Classes were loaded down with work and it soon became clear that non-verbal spellcasting was going to become a norm. Given how much trouble Elizabeth had with spells in general, she was astounded to find out she had a knack for casting non-verbally. Outside of class, Elizabeth's time was always spent in the library doing homework with either Harry, Ron, and Hermione or with Susan, Hannah, and Ernie.

Halfway through their Herbology lesson that Friday evening, just before dinner, their lessons were interrupted as Professor McGonagall stepped in and said she needed to speak with Professor Sprout and—most surprisingly—Hannah Abbott. Professor Sprout must have heard something in McGonagall's tone because she ordered everyone to clean up and then lessons would end early before she and Hannah left the greenhouse.

"I wonder what that's about..." Susan asked slowly, a tone of worry in her voice.

Elizabeth's own stomach was twisting into knots with worry as well. She wasn't paying any attention to what she was doing, cleaning the station she, Susan, and Hannah had been working at on autopilot. It wasn't until she felt a firm hand grab her wrist that she stopped and looked up. Neville was staring back and, after a second, he dropped Elizabeth's wrist quickly.

"You were...er, about to stick your hand into the Venomous Tentacula."

Elizabeth glanced down to her hand and there were indeed vines of the deadly plant just inches from Elizabeth's fingers—it had tried to disguise itself as an unassuming pile of clipped vines but close inspection saw the vines stretching out from the side towards the plant along the walls. Elizabeth jerked her hand back quickly and gave Neville a small grin.

"Thanks," she said, "Wasn't paying attention."

"Worried about Hannah?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth sighed, "I'll have to find her before dinner."

Elizabeth barely paused to say goodbye to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She was out of the greenhouse quickly, hurrying towards the castle with Susan, Ernie, and Justin close behind. The first place they checked was the common room, empty save for sixth and seventh years that didn't have classes. Hannah wasn't there, but Oliver Rivers was. He looked up at them, his face tight with worry.

"Hannah came through a few minutes ago," he said, coming over, "She was crying. I tried to ask what was wrong, but she went straight to the girls' dormitories."

"She was called out of Herbology," Ernie said, "Something must have happened."

"We'll go talk to her," Elizabeth said, already starting for the dormitories. Megan and Susan were right behind her. Elizabeth slowly opened the door to their room, finding Hannah inside at her bed—packing.

"Hannah?" Elizabeth asked softly, coming over.

The blond-haired Hufflepuff looked up, her face wet with tears. She gave a sniff, then flung her arms around Elizabeth's neck, burying her face against her shoulder and crying. Elizabeth stumbled a bit then hugged her back, glancing to Megan and Susan.

"Hannah, what's wrong?" Megan asked as she and Susan came over.

"M-my m-mother..." Hannah's voice was muffled against Elizabeth's shoulder, "She's...She's be-been..."

The others understood instantly. Megan and Susan came closer, joining in on the hug so they were all bunched around Hannah. Elizabeth knew how Hannah had to feel. Aunt Ginger had practically been a second mother to Elizabeth, after all.

The four girls stood for a while, waiting for Hannah to settle enough to talk. When she finally pulled away, the shoulder of Elizabeth's robes were pretty wet but she didn't care. She pulled out a handkerchief, offering it to Hannah.

"Why're you packing?" Megan asked after a moment, looking to Hannah's opened trunk at the foot of her bed.

"D-dad's waiting in Pro-Professor Sp-Sprout's office," Hannah managed, giving a small hiccup, "H-he's taking me h-home."

"Of course," Susan said at once, "For the funeral. Will you come back afterward?"

Hannah shook her head. Elizabeth's stomach tied into knots again.

"Why not?" she asked, "I mean, Hogwarts has all these defenses—"

"I-it was m-my choice," Hannah said and the room fell silent. Elizabeth, Susan, and Megan all stared at each other.

"You...You don't _want_ to come back?" Susan asked slowly.

"I'm of age," Hannah said weakly, picking up some robes hanging off the edge of her bed, "A-and D-Daddy will need h-help. I...I'd r-rather stay h-home with h-him...I can pr-probably get a job at o-one of the sh-shops in D-Diagon Alley."

Megan went over to Hannah, starting to help her pack. After a moment, Susan and Elizabeth did the same.

"We're going to miss you," Susan said softly, "It's not going to be the same without you here."

"I'll miss you too," Hannah said, "I'll wr-write, I promise."

"And we'll keep you updated on Hogwarts," Elizabeth said, gathering Hannah's books, "All the gossip you love to hear about."

Hannah managed a small smile at that. The four girls remained silent after that, helping Hannah get everything packed—it was amazing how much things could get spread around a room in just two short weeks. Megan offered to go get Peg, Hannah's owl, but Hannah said her father would have already done that. Megan insisted on helping Hannah with her trunk, however.

They made their way back into the common room where the boys were waiting. The second the four girls came out, Ernie, Justin and Oliver hurried over—Roger and Wayne with them. They'd apparently arrived while the girls were helping Hannah pack.

"You...You're leaving?" Roger asked weakly, "Why?"

"My mum..." Hannah replied, "She...She's..."

Again, Hannah couldn't say it but the message rang clearly around the group. Ernie's face paled and Justin hugged Hannah.

"Take care of yourself," Wayne said quietly, "We're all going to miss you."

It was heartbreaking, telling Hannah goodbye. Everyone had their turn giving Hannah long hugs and promises to keep in touch. Megan still insisted on helping Hannah with her trunk, and soon the two girls were heading out through the dirt tunnel that led to the stack of barrels hiding their common room.

Elizabeth sank down onto an armchair, knowing she should go eat dinner but not feeling hungry at all. It seemed none of her fellow Hufflepuffs were planning to eat as well. They all sat on various armchairs and couches in a small circle, all of them silent.

Hannah was leaving. Reading about things in the newspaper, the war somehow seemed far off. Elizabeth could almost pretend that things were normal—but now Hannah was gone. An even more sickening feeling settled in Elizabeth's stomach as she couldn't help but wonder...Would she one day be called out of class for similar news to be given to her?


	10. Visiting Friends

**A/N:** I now have a twitter! (WriterKrisPilar) I welcome anyone who follows me or my stories here to follow me there as well. I'll often post updates on my writing progress or when unexpected delays come up.

* * *

 _ **Chapter Ten:**_

 _ **Visiting Friends**_

No one slept well that night. Elizabeth woke up the next morning with vague inklings of an odd dream involving a dark corridor, but as soon as she had sat up the dream vanished from memory. As she and the other girls got dressed, all three of them avoided looking to Hannah's empty bed.

It was a long, quiet breakfast where no one ate much. Megan said she was going to take a walk and Susan mentioned writing a letter home. Elizabeth still had her Charms essay to finish, so she decided to go up to the library, though she ran into Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the stairs—Harry and Ron both had Quidditch gear on and brooms over their shoulders. Ron looked like he was about to pass out.

"How's Hannah?" Hermione asked, "We didn't see any of you at dinner last night."

"She left," Elizabeth said, "Her mother was killed..."

"That's horrible!" Hermione's face went pale, her hands going over her mouth. Elizabeth sighed.

"It is," she said, "We can't do anything though...Shouldn't you get down to the pitch? Tryouts are about to start."

"Yeah, we're on our way," Harry said, "We're going to visit Hagrid after tryouts. Do you want to come?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth said, "Tryouts should take a few hours, right? I'm going to go work on some homework and I'll meet you down there. Good luck, Ron."

Ron gave a weak nod and Elizabeth wasn't too sure he even heard her. He, Harry, and Hermione headed on down the stairway and Elizabeth went on up to the library.

She found her favorite table by the window on one of the upper levels of the library and pulled out her copy of _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade Six_ , then her parchment, quill, and ink. She was already about halfway through the essay. It was just a matter of trying to remember where her train of thought left off and picking it back up.

The problem was that Elizabeth couldn't seem to focus. She instead found herself looking out the window. Elizabeth always loved this specific table of the view out the window. It was along the wall of the castle that was nestled along the lake, so there was always a great view of the water far below. She could see the Quidditch pitch off in the distance and small black dots zooming around. It seemed the Quidditch tryouts had started.

"Elizabeth? Are you okay?"

Elizabeth jumped a little, turning to see Neville standing next to the table, his school bag over his shoulder.

"Just a rough night," Elizabeth said, "Want to sit down?"

Neville nodded, slipping into the chair across from Elizabeth and putting his bag on the floor.

"I heard about Hannah," he said awkwardly. Elizabeth nodded, glancing down to her untouched essay.

"She won't be coming back," she said, "She decided to drop out to help her father."

"Are you okay, though?"

The question took Elizabeth off-guard. She stared at Neville, trying to decide how to answer. Talking with Neville had always been comfortable because they never actually talked. At least, not about anything more than Quidditch or their classes. They had always been a distraction for each other at St. Mungo's, never prying into the other's personal life. Maybe that's why they'd never been particularly close...

"It's just..." Elizabeth started slowly, "Sometimes you can pretend things are normal. Then something like this happens..."

"And you're reminded of everything," Neville said.

"Yeah..." Elizabeth gave a sigh. Neville nodded, but didn't say anything. Elizabeth wondered if he was thinking about his parents. He never talked about them. After all they'd been through together, Elizabeth felt an urge to just be there for Neville. To be more than just a distraction from his troubles. She wanted to be someone he could confide in.

"Are you okay?" she asked a bit hesitantly, "I mean, you go through just as much as any of us, but you never talk about it."

"M'fine," Neville muttered, staring out the window.

Elizabeth sighed, watching Neville. One thing the two of them had in common was they tended to keep their problems to themselves. Even among her friends, Elizabeth didn't bring up her own problems unless pressed. Other people's issues were far more important than her own. Neville was the same. She also knew, however, that sometimes you needed to talk and she wanted to be there for Neville. Maybe if she opened up, she could get Neville to as well.

"My family is falling apart," Elizabeth said softly, watching the sun reflect off the lake outside, "We've been trying to hide it, but...After Aunt Ginger died..." Elizabeth's voice faltered and she stared determinedly out the window, feeling the tears starting to sting. "Uncle Xavier has disappeared. Mum and I are raising Ursula. Lewis blames me for what happened...He hasn't spoken to any of us since summer."

"What? How can he blame you?" Neville asked in disbelief.

Elizabeth kept her gaze out the window, tucking back some of her hair.

"He thinks that if I hadn't followed Harry," Elizabeth said quietly, "Then Aunt Ginger wouldn't have gone to help fight. That she wouldn't have been killed." Elizabeth paused. "Mum says Aunt Ginger would have gone no matter what, but sometimes I wonder if she blames me too..."

Elizabeth had never said this out loud, not even to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Not even to Susan. She knew her mother didn't blame her for what happened, but the thought still kept coming across her mind. She could never shake it.

"She'd be mad if she does," Neville said.

Elizabeth glanced to Neville, reaching up to wipe tears from her eyes. He was watching her now, an odd, unreadable look on his face.

"I don't think she does," Elizabeth whispered, "But at the same time, I sometimes wonder how she can't..." Elizabeth paused again, watching Neville. "I guess I should consider myself lucky, though."

Neville seemed to realize what Elizabeth meant. Even though she had all these problems, she still _had_ them. Neville was sitting here with parents who didn't even recognize him.

"I must sound pathetic," Elizabeth whispered, moving to the full reason she started talking about this—even though she oddly felt better getting it off her chest, "I bet you would much prefer having family issues like mine."

Neville's face flushed as he looked away, his expression tightening. Elizabeth tensed a little. Had she pushed things too far? After all, even though she and Neville had known each other for years they'd never exactly been close.

"I have plenty of my own," Neville said so quietly Elizabeth barely heard him. Elizabeth felt herself relax a little in the fact that Neville had said something at least.

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked softly.

Neville was silent long enough that she wondered if that one comment was all she was going to get from him. She found herself fighting not to hold her breath, afraid that even the sound of that would break some hold and Neville would hide back in his shell.

"Gran is telling me all the time how brave my parents were," Neville finally said—he was the one now with his gaze locked out the window, "She's always saying I'm not living up to their sacrifice. And she's right. They gave their sanity for me and all I am is a disappointment."

"You are _not_ a disappointment!" Elizabeth said sharply, "You're one of the strongest people I know, Neville."

Neville muttered something that Elizabeth didn't quite hear and she sighed, reaching over and resting her hand on Neville's arm. He looked at her quickly.

"Your gran doesn't know anything," she said, "I told you before, just look at what you did at the Department of Mysteries. You're not your parents and your grandmother has no right to try and force you to be them. She seems stuck in the past. She wants her son back and is ignoring the grandson in front of her."

"She probably blames me for what happened to them," Neville said.

"What're you talking about?" Elizabeth asked, feeling sick at that thought, "Neville, you were a _toddler_. You can't be responsible—that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Elizabeth said, her hand tightening closed and it took a moment for her to remember she was still holding Neville's arm. She let go quickly. Neville gave her a weak grin.

"Even if it is, I can't help it if the thought's there," he said.

Elizabeth fidgeted a little, realizing she had said the exact same thing about her own self-blame. She looked down quickly at her hands folded together over her abandoned essay. She and Neville really were a lot more alike than she ever thought.

"Look," Elizabeth said softly, finally looking up again, "You are not responsible for your parents. The Death Eaters are. And you stood up to them at the Department of Mysteries. If I had to say, I'd think your parents would be damn proud of that."

Again, Neville didn't respond. He wasn't looking away, however. He was staring at Elizabeth, that unreadable expression still on his face. Elizabeth bit her lower lip, finding herself wondering what he was thinking. Was he at least taking in any of what she had said?

"Just...Just think about it, okay?" Elizabeth asked softly, "You're better than you think you are."

"You must have very low expectations," Neville said quietly.

Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head. She wished Neville could see how amazing he was. How could he be so blind?

"And I think you and your grandmother put expectations too high," Elizabeth said, getting to her feet, gathering her things, "You'll never be your father and you shouldn't want to be. You should live your own life, not someone else's. After all, Neville Longbottom, Herbologist Extraordinaire is the buy I'm friends with. Not the shadow of a former Auror his grandmother is constantly pushing onto him."

Elizabeth turned and walked off, leaving Neville behind at the table. It seemed their conversation at the lake a couple of weeks ago hadn't made any difference and she doubted today did either, but she still felt a determination to try. Neville deserved to see just how amazing a person he actually was.

The thought of how to get through to Neville went through Elizabeth's mind all the way through the castle and out onto the grounds. It seemed she had good timing as well. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were at Hagrid's hut, Harry bowing to Buckbeak as Elizabeth approached.

"I made Keeper!" Ron said excitedly before Elizabeth could even ask. She laughed, grinning at her friends.

"That's great!" she said, "Who else is on the team?"

"Katie's still a Chaser," Harry said from where he was petting Buckbeak, "And we have Ginny and this other girl, Demelza Robins. And a couple of third years, Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote, for Beaters."

"That's great!" Elizabeth said, "Congratulations."

"Oi!" Hagrid came around the other side of the hut at the same time as Elizabeth reached her friends. "Get away from him! He'll have yer fingers—oh. Its yeh lot."

Hagrid spun on his heel, marching back to his cabin and slamming the door behind him. Fang—who had been attempting to knock Harry over in an attempt to lick his face—dropped back and looked to the door, then to the others.

"This isn't good," Elizabeth whispered. She had told the others about how Hagrid took the news of them not continuing Care of Magical Creatures and it seemed as if Hagrid was still sour about it.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said, walking up to the door and banging on it, "Hagrid! Open up, we want to talk to you!"

The door remained firmly shut. Elizabeth glanced to the others as Harry pulled out his wand.

"If you don't open the door, we'll blast it open!" Harry yelled.

"Harry!" Elizabeth hissed, but Harry's threat had done the trick. Hagrid pulled open the door, staring down at them with a look so sour, Elizabeth took a cautious step backwards.

"I'm a teacher!' Hagrid's voice shook with a fury Elizabeth rarely saw, "A teacher, Potter! How dare yeh threaten ter break down my door!"

"I'm sorry, sir," Harry replied, his own voice cool. Elizabeth stared at them, then to Ron and Hermione—both seemed as shocked as she did.

"Since when have yeh called me 'sir'?" Hagrid demanded.

"Since when have you called me 'Potter'?"

"Oh, very clever. Very amusin'," Hagrid grumbled, "That's me outsmarted, innit? All righ', come in then, yeh ungrateful little..."

Hagrid stepped aside, muttering under his breath. Elizabeth glanced at the others, then slowly stepped inside. Hagrid's hut was much the same as always—warm and cozy with oversized furniture and mugs—though there was one difference: A large barrel filled with something white and squirming. Elizabeth tried not to stare as she sat at Hagrid's table. Fang immediately rested his head on Harry's lap. Elizabeth found herself secretly glad it wasn't her. The smell of dog drool was incredibly hard to get out of robes.

"Well?" Hagrid asked sharply, "What's this? Feelin' sorry for me? Reckon I'm lonely or summat?"

"No," Harry said, "We wanted to see you."

"We missed you!" Hermione added.

"Missed me, have yeh? Yeah. Righ'."

Hagrid turned and marched across his hut, still muttering under his breath. He was rather cold about the way he poured mugs of tea and dropped them in front of everyone at the table. Elizabeth glanced at the others with a worried look.

"Hagrid, I told you they couldn't fit Care of Magical Creatures into their schedules," Elizabeth said slowly. She found herself half-relieved, half-guilty that she'd never taken the class herself.

"We really did try!" Hermione said insistently.

"Yeah. Righ'."

Hermione looked helplessly to the others. Harry looked around quickly, then noticed the barrel Elizabeth had seen when they first came in.

"What are they, Hagrid?" Harry asked quickly.

"Jus' giant grubs," Hagrid replied shortly.

"And they grow into..." Ron started slowly.

"They won' grow inter nuthin'," Hagrid said, "I got 'em ter feed ter Aragog."

At the mention of the massive spider, Hagrid buried his face in his hands. His shoulders shook as he sobbed and Elizabeth leapt to her feet, hurrying forward. Hermione was right behind.

"I think he's dyin'..." Hagrid looked back up slowly, wiping tears from his face, "He got ill over the summer an' he's not gettin' better...I don' know what I'll do if he...if he...We've bin tergether so long..."

Elizabeth put an arm around Hagrid—though the best she could do was rest her hand on his back—and tried to think of what it would be like for her to lose Cream. Of course, her cat was simply that—a cat. Cream wasn't a fifty-foot spider with a massive clan of murderous offspring. All of whom had once tried to eat her, Harry, and Ron during their second year.

"Is there—is there anything we can do?" Hermione asked and Ron's eyes went wide, his face paling.

"I don' think there is, Hermione," Hagrid said weakly, patting his face with a large handkerchief, "See, the rest o' the tribe...Aragog's family...they're gettin' a bit funny now he's ill...bit restive..."

"Yeah, I think we saw a bit of that side of them," Ron muttered. Elizabeth glared at him.

"I don' reckon it'd be safe fer anyone but me ter go near the colony at the mo'," Hagrid said, "But thanks fer offerin', Hermione...It means a lot..."

Hagrid blew his nose, the cold air he'd had towards the four fading away. He redid their cups of tea, sighing as he did so.

"Ar, I always knew yeh three'd find it hard ter squeeze me inter your timetables," he said to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, "Even if yeh applied for Time-Turners—"

"We couldn't have done," Hermione said, "We smashed the entire stock of Ministry Time-Turners when we were there last summer. It was in the _Daily Prophet_."

"Ar, well then," Hagrid shrugged, "There's no way yeh could've done it...I'm sorry I've bin—yeh know—Elizabeth told me the firs' day about it, but...I've jus' bin worried abou' Aragog...An' I did wonder whether, if Professor Grubbly-Plank had bin teachin' yeh—"

Elizabeth spent the rest of the afternoon listening to Harry, Ron, and Hermione go on about how bad of a teacher Professor Grubbly-Plank was and how they had much preferred Hagrid's lessons. The lies cheered Hagrid considerably and Elizabeth was glad to see him better as they made their way up to the castle for dinner.

"I'm starving," Harry said, "And I've got that detention with Snape tonight, I haven't got much time for dinner..."

Elizabeth felt her stomach growl and realized she hadn't eaten much of anything since lunch the day before. She hurried to the Great Hall, but Ron stopped at the doorway, turning back around. Elizabeth stopped as well, turning to see Harry and Hermione a bit away from them, talking quietly.

"What are you two doing?" Ron called to them. Both turned quickly.

"Nothing," they said, hurrying after them.

Elizabeth's stomach was growling more now. The smell of dinner was making her mouth water and she was very eager to eat a good meal now that her appetite was back. Unfortunately, as soon as they were through the door, Professor Slughorn had shown up, blocking their path. Elizabeth noticed Harry didn't look too pleased and Ron's face turned sour. Elizabeth knew that Harry—thanks to the notes in the Half-Blood Prince's book—had quickly become Slughorn's best student in Potions.

"Harry, Harry, just the man I was hoping to see!" Slughorn said cheerfully, "I was hoping to catch you before dinner! What do you say to a spot of supper tonight in my rooms instead? We're having a little party, just a few rising stars, I've got McLaggen coming and Zabini, the charming Melinda Bobbin—I don't know whether you know her? Her family owns a large chain of apothecaries—and, of course, I hope very much that Miss Granger will favor me by coming too."

As Slughorn made a bow to Hermione, Elizabeth was well aware that she was good as invisible. She took the chance to slip away towards the Hufflepuff table—Harry shooting her a glare as she did so. Elizabeth gave him a weak grin, finding where Susan and Sarah were sitting with Ernie and Justin. She was eager for a good, warm meal.


	11. Coming of Age

_**Chapter Eleven:**_

 _ **Coming of Age**_

Even with N.E.W.T. classes being far more challenging and a war brewing outside the castle walls, Elizabeth found herself falling into a familiar routine at Hogwarts. The only difference was that Elizabeth didn't have as much free time, even with the fact she was only taking a fraction of the classes. Every moment outside of class was spent doing homework—either with Susan, Justin, and Ernie, or with Harry, Ron, and Hermione—though she found herself also spending more time with Neville. She wasn't pushing the issue about his self-confidence again yet but the idea was always in the back of her mind. She hated seeing how little self-confidence her friend had.

One month into the term brought Elizabeth's birthday, though this year was more important than others: Elizabeth was turning seventeen. She was now of-age. Elizabeth woke up the morning of October fifth to the sun shining weakly through the small windows near the ceiling of their dormitory. There was already a small pile of presents at the foot of her bed, brought during the night by house-elves most likely. As Elizabeth pushed on her glasses, she was greeted with wishes of a happy birthday from Megan and Susan—though Megan was heading out the door. Megan tended to spend as little time as possible in their room lately.

"Here, open mine first," Susan said, tossing Elizabeth a small package, "Get it on out of the way."

Elizabeth grinned as she caught the present, working through the wrapping. Inside, she found a small teddy bear, barely half a foot in length. Its fur was a swirling mix of two colors: a pale green and a light purple—Elizabeth and Susan's favorite colors. Elizabeth grinned softly, studying the small bear.

"Seventeen's a big year," Susan said, a slight flush rising in her cheeks, "I wanted to do something special. Something that represented our friendship and all...I couldn't ask for a better friend."

Elizabeth was incredibly touched at this. She and Susan were definitely close. In fact, she considered Susan as close a friend as Harry, Ron, and Hermione. In some ways, Susan was almost a sister to her. This teddy bear was so small, but what it represented was a lot more.

"Thank you," Elizabeth said softly, grinning at her friend, "I wish I had something as important for you."

"Hey, this is your birthday not mine," Susan said with a laugh, getting up and coming over, "So how about I help you with the rest of these gifts?"

Elizabeth laughed, putting the small bear on her nightstand next to the picture of her Aunt Ginger that now held a place of honor among her frames.

"Sounds good to me," she said, "I expect most of this is jewelry or candy anyway."

"Oh, don't pretend you don't love jewelry," Susan teased. Elizabeth laughed. She definitely did have quite the collection. Only a small selection made it to Hogwarts with her each year.

"And I definitely love my Pepper Imps," Elizabeth added, starting through the presents.

As she guessed, most of her gifts were indeed candy and jewelry. Though from Hermione, Elizabeth was surprised to find a nice, lilac jumper rather than some new book or quill set. There had been a hope through the back of her mind that there would be something, anything from Lewis among the gifts. She'd even settle for a simple birthday card. Yet as Elizabeth reached the last present—a small box wrapped in a ribbon from her mother—there had been nothing from her brother. Elizabeth tried to hide her disappointment in front of Susan, but she couldn't help but feel her eyes sting with tears. Lewis hadn't sent anything.

Trying to distract herself, Elizabeth picked up the letter that came with her mother's gift, deciding to read it first:

 _My Little Pumpkin,_

Elizabeth almost groaned. Her mother hadn't called her 'Pumpkin' since she was a child. It had been a nickname due to the fact that Elizabeth was born in October. She had always found it rather embarrassing and was glad when the nickname faded by the time she started Hogwarts.

 _My Little Pumpkin,_

 _You'll have to deal with an emotional letter. I'm your mother and you're my baby girl. And now you're an adult. No matter how old you are, however, you will always be my Pumpkin. Even if I don't call you by that name anymore. Why did I stop? I shouldn't have, even if it did always embarrass you._

 _You have grown into a remarkable young woman and I am endlessly proud of you. We've been through hard times together and we've had our disagreements, but I hope that you can always rely on me the way a daughter should rely on her mother. I may not always say so, but there is no one I'd rather share a late-night cup of tea or hot cocoa with._

 _You'll soon be done with Hogwarts. It's hard to believe you only have two more years at that school. Then, you'll be off on your own, getting your own job and living your own life. One day, you'll be getting married and having children of your own. I hope that I will always be someone you can go to with problems._

 _No matter how much time passes, you will always be the little girl asking questions about my work or begging for one more bedtime story. Yet you'll also always be the remarkable young woman you have become. I am so proud of you and that is something that will never change. I hope this gift will help remind you of just how special you are to me._

 _Looking forward to seeing you at Christmas._

 _Mum_

There was no holding back any longer. The letter from her mother mixed with the absence of anything from Lewis now had Elizabeth crying in a mix of both hurt and touched at the words her mother had sent her.

"Elizabeth? What's wrong?" Susan asked quickly, but Elizabeth just grinned at her.

"Mum's being sappy," she said softly, "Don't worry."

Elizabeth put away the letter in a drawer of her nightstand, then turned to the present itself. She already knew what would be in it before she even opened it. Tradition for all wizards and witches coming of age meant parents giving them a watch. Elizabeth remembered Lewis getting his a couple of years ago—a silver pocket watch with delicate engravings on the front.

Elizabeth's watch turned out to be a wrist-watch, but no less impressive. It was silver with a plain face, but it was the band of the watch that was special. Delicate pictures were engraved along the band, each something special to Elizabeth's life:

A pumpkin—self-explanatory with her old nickname—a badger—obviously for Hufflepuff—a quill perched on parchment—Elizabeth's interest in being a journalist—a tulip—her love of flowers, the tulip being her favorite—a whisk—she did enjoy baking—and a broom in flight—she might not play Quidditch, but she loved flying.

"Elizabeth, that's gorgeous," Susan said softly as she leaned over to study the watch. Elizabeth grinned, slipping the watch on her wrist and studying it.

"It is, isn't it?" she asked, "Mum must have gone through a lot to get it made..."

"I hope my parents put that much thought into mine," Susan said with a laugh, no trace of envy in her voice as she grinned at Elizabeth, "I'm heading on up to breakfast. Be warned, Megan and Oliver are going to try and talk you into spending the day out by the lake for your birthday."

Elizabeth felt her face flush as she started digging through her trunk for a change of clothes.

"I don't like people making a fuss," she said.

"I know," Susan said, glancing to the door before turning back to Elizabeth, "Honestly, I think they're just using your birthday as an excuse. With everything that's happened, I think we could all use a day off. The first Hogsmeade visit is still a few weeks away and if it's anything like Diagon Alley, it might not be that much of a break..."

Elizabeth had a feeling Susan was right. She might not like attention on her, but they did need a break from the work they've been doing. It had only been a month and Elizabeth's brain was already starting to feel like mush.

"All right, sounds good," Elizabeth said, "But I'm inviting Harry, Ron, and Hermione along."

"Of course! The more the merrier," Susan gave Elizabeth a grin before heading out of the room.

Elizabeth quickly got changed, deciding to wear her new jumper from Hermione. After brushing through her hair, she headed on into the common room and on up the stairs to the Great Hall. Like Susan had predicted, Megan and Oliver had plans for a day of relaxation by the lake—including a picnic for lunch. Elizabeth glanced at the sky overhead. A blanket of cloud obscured the sun, but Elizabeth still thought a day outside would be wonderful. They all needed the break from lessons. Ron and Harry agreed instantly, which was unsurprising because it meant a day without work. Hermione, however, took more convincing.

"Come on, Hermione," Ron said, "Elizabeth is right. We need a break."

"You have Quidditch practice for that," Hermione responded.

"That's not a break! That's work, too!"

"Besides, _you_ don't play Quidditch," Elizabeth pointed out, "It'll be fun. We're all going to spend some time down at the lake and talk about whatever, just enjoying the day. Justin and Wayne are even getting some food from the kitchens to have a picnic out there—"

"Taking advantage of the House Elves?" Hermione asked sharply, her eyes narrowing. Elizabeth fidgeted. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say.

"No, of course not," Elizabeth said quickly, "We're always respectful to the elves. And I'm sure Justin will make sure to only take from the food already prepared for lunch—no extra work for the elves!"

Hermione was still glaring. Elizabeth sighed.

"It'll be no different than eating lunch in here. We're just taking it out to the lake instead," Elizabeth said, "Come on, we all need the break."

It took more convincing, but Hermione finally relented on the condition that she could at least bring a book. Elizabeth made her promise, however, that it would be one that was in no-way related to schoolwork. Hermione wasn't happy but reluctantly agreed, mainly because Elizabeth said the picnic was for her birthday. Elizabeth didn't like using her birthday as blackmail but if it got Hermione to take a break for one day, it would be worth it. Elizabeth invited Neville along as well and it took very little convincing to get him to agree. Once breakfast was done, the group headed out to the lake where the Hufflepuffs were already waiting—Elizabeth noticed Sarah Bones wasn't there. She had finally begun making friends with a Ravenclaw girl in her year.

The day was definitely a much-needed break. There was no talk of future careers, N.E.W.T. classes, or the war brewing around them. Instead, Elizabeth joked with Susan and Megan about the latest completely-unbelievable gossip in _Witch Weekly_ while Hermione sat nearby, occasionally commenting with a roll of her eyes that gossiping was not for her. Harry and Ron playfully argued with Ernie, Justin, and Oliver over whether Hufflepuff or Gryffindor would be winning the Quidditch cup this year while Wayne and Roger chatted about Herbology with Neville nearby—not about the class itself, but just the subject in general. Given Neville's passion for Herbology, Elizabeth thought she'd let it slide as they technically weren't talking about work.

As the afternoon wore on the group turned into a large game of Exploding Snap, made much more complicated because they were playing with teams in twos rather than everyone against each other. The card game was already exciting enough with the fact that a mistake could cause the cards to explode, but when you made it to where each player was two people working together things became far more interesting. They were even able to drag Hermione away from her book to play a few rounds.

They had become so engrossed in their game of twelve people playing something typically meant for six at most that no one had been paying attention to the darkening clouds overhead. It made for a very wet interruption when the rain began to fall. It was a mad scramble as everyone tried to gather the increasingly-dampening cards and hurried for the castle. As Elizabeth stumbled into the entrance hall, Susan and Megan right behind, all three of the girls were giggling hard. Ernie was laughing as well, but Harry and Ron had sour looks on their faces and Hermione had her robes gathered tightly around her, protecting her book.

"Next time you want a day-long break," Ron said, "How about we pick a day we won't get rained on?"

"Yes, because we can all control the weather," Justin said with a roll of his eyes, but he was grinning brightly, "We should do this again, though."

"My birthday is in December!" Roger offered. Elizabeth laughed brightly, turning to the Gryffindors as Neville pushed the hood of his robes back.

"I'm in, whenever it is," he said brightly.

"As long as it doesn't rain again," Ron added.

Elizabeth grinned as she told Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville goodbye. She followed her fellow Hufflepuffs back to their common room, feeling in a better mood than she'd been in a long time. This had definitely been one of her best birthdays she'd had.


	12. Disaster

_**Chapter Twelve:**_

 _ **Disaster**_

Two weeks later, the first Hogsmeade visit had arrived. Elizabeth woke up from a strange dream where she'd been shopping for jewelry with friends but an odd sense of dread had been hanging over them. In fact, the sense of dread was still lingering as Elizabeth got dressed and brushed through her hair. Elizabeth knew exactly what this meant and she did not like it at all. It was the feeling she always got when something was going to happen and, as usual, it gave her no idea as to what. It frustrated Elizabeth to no end. Why couldn't her ability be clearer? Why was she getting warnings that she could do nothing about?

The thoughts were going around Elizabeth's mind as she got dressed and headed to breakfast with Susan—Megan was bent over books on her bed. She had been neglecting her Transfiguration homework and was giving up her Hogsmeade visit to try and get it done before their next lesson on Monday.

"At least it's sunny," Susan said, glancing up at the ceiling reflecting the sky as they went into the Great Hall.

"Looks like it'll be a good day," Elizabeth added, though that sickening feeling was churning her stomach more. The sad thing was, after the year before she was beginning to grow used to these feelings. No matter how much she hated it.

"Are you going to be with Harry, Ron, and Hermione?" Susan asked as they both got themselves some bacon and toast.

"Yeah," Elizabeth replied, "You're welcome to come along, you know."

"That sounds great," Susan said, "It's going to be so nice to get out of the castle for a while."

When Elizabeth met up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, she noticed Helene was with them. She grinned brightly as Elizabeth and Susan came over.

"Ginny 'as a date wiz Dean," Helene said, "And Luna 'as a test in Charms coming up zat she wants to practice for, so I asked if I could tag along."

"The more the merrier," Elizabeth said, "Susan's coming along too."

They joined the queue of students being checked by Filch to leave the castle for Hogsmeade. Filch seemed to be taking his job more seriously than usual as he kept double-checking every student with a Secrecy Sensor as they passed.

"What does it matter if we're smuggling Dark stuff _out_?" Ron asked loudly, "Surely you ought to be checking what we bring back _in_?"

Five minutes later, Ron was still wincing from the extra jabs Filch had given him. Helen found it incredibly amusing.

"You 'ad zat coming," she said, which gained her a glare from Ron.

Despite the sunny sky, the wind outside was brutal. Everyone was doubled-over, hugging coats against themselves and trying to block their faces against the blistering gusts that beat against them. Elizabeth even stumbled a couple of times, Susan's grasp on her arm the only thing keeping her from falling.

Susan's comment two weeks before turned out to be correct. Hogsmeade did not look at all inviting when they finally reached the village. Several shops were boarded up, much like on Diagon Alley. To Ron and Harry's disappointment, Zonko's was one of them.

"Honeydukes!" Ron managed through his scarf wrapped around his face, pointing up ahead. It was still open, much to everyone's relief. Elizabeth was even willing to deal with the cramped store if it meant getting out of the blistering wind.

"So much better," Susan said once they were inside and she pulled off her hat, "Warmth and mouth-watering smells. The best place to be."

"Harry, m'boy!"

Harry groaned, trying to duck behind Elizabeth and Susan but it was too late. Professor Slughorn had pushed his way through the crowd, coming over to the group of students.

"Harry, that's three of my little suppers you've missed now!" Slughorn said, acting as if the rest of the group wasn't even there, "It won't do, m'boy, I'm determined to have you! Miss Granger loves them, don't you?"

"Yes, they're really—"

"So why don't you come along, Harry?" Slughorn cut Hermione off. He hadn't even glanced at her, his focus staying on Harry.

"Well, I've had Quidditch practice, Professor," Harry said.

"I certainly expect you to win your first match after all this hard work!" Slughorn said, "But a little recreation never hurt anybody. Now, how about Monday night, you can't possibly want to practice in this weather..."

"I can't, Professor," Harry said quickly, "I've got—er—an appointment with Professor Dumbledore that evening."

"Unlucky again!" Slughorn said with an overly-dramatic sigh, "Ah, well...you can't evade me forever, Harry!"

Elizabeth watched Slughorn leave and noticed Helene was glaring after him.

"Zat man," she said sourly, "Ze way 'e favors students...'E is no better zan Snape."

Elizabeth wasn't sure she'd go that far. Of course, she didn't have Potions with Slughorn to judge but from what she'd been told, Slughorn merely ignored students who didn't rise to his standards. Snape downright belittled them.

Honeydukes didn't feel as welcoming after that. Despite Helene's efforts, Ron still seemed moody fifteen minutes later as they left without having bought much. With little where else to go, the group decided to head to the Three Broomsticks.

The streets were as empty as they were before. Anyone outside in this weather was doing the same as Elizabeth's group: hurrying against the wind towards their next destination as quickly as they could. As they got closer, Elizabeth noticed two people were just outside the pub's doors: A tall man in a cloak, and a short man who was very familiar.

"Mundungus!" Harry said cheerfully and Elizabeth groaned.

"Susan and I are going to find a table," Elizabeth said, taking Susan's arm and heading into the Three Broomsticks as Harry and the others stayed back.

"Who's Mundungus?" Susan asked as she and Elizabeth waded through the tables, making their way towards the bar to get butterbeers.

"A thief," Elizabeth said darkly, then glanced around and lowered her voice, "But he's a member of the Order of the Phoenix, so we have to put up with him."

Over the summer, Elizabeth had told Susan about the Order of the Phoenix, at least part of it. She explained that because her Aunt Ginger had been a member, Elizabeth had known a few of the members and that they were a group who had been, and still were, working against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

"I'm not sure I want someone like that watching my back," Susan said darkly as they finally found a table big enough for the group.

She and Elizabeth put down the several butterbeers they were carrying between them, then took seats and waited for the others. When they finally came in, Elizabeth noticed Harry looked angry over something and someone else was with them.

"Is...is that..." Susan managed weakly, her face pale, "Sirius Black?"

Elizabeth fidgeted a little. She had never really explained things about Sirius to Susan. It was a subject that never came up—except for when Elizabeth had visited after Susan's aunt had died. That would have been a very inappropriate time.

"He's a member of the Order," Elizabeth whispered to Susan, "And a friend."

"A _friend_?" Susan turned to Elizabeth, her eyes blazing, "You're friends with him and haven't told me?"

"It...It's complicated..."

"I'm sure it is," Susan said coldly as she got to her feet, "I'm going to head back to the castle."

Elizabeth stared in disbelief, getting up as well.

"What?" she asked, "Susan, wa—"

Elizabeth didn't get to finish. Susan disappeared into the crowd, leaving Elizabeth staring after her friend in confusion and disbelief. She was already feeling sick from the feelings of dread that had been bothering her all day, but now she felt even worse. She wanted to chase after her friend but Harry and the others had arrived at the table by then.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, putting a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. Elizabeth jerked slightly, looking around the group. Harry still seemed angry about something and Sirius didn't seem too happy either. Elizabeth shook her head.

"It's nothing," Elizabeth lied, sitting back down, "Susan forgot something up at the castle."

Hermione clearly didn't believe her but gratefully didn't say anything.

"Can't you do something about Mundungus?" Harry asked out of the blue, looking to Sirius, "He's stealing your stuff!"

"I've already said I don't care about what's in that house," Sirius said darkly, "But he apparently isn't satisfied with what he's welcome to..."

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked, looking confused.

"Mundungus was selling off stuff he stole from my parents' place," Sirius said, "Don't really care about that, but I saw that he apparently had some of my personal things that had been in my room. He wasn't too thrilled when he saw us."

"Why does the Order let him get away with that?" Elizabeth asked, understanding perfectly why Harry and Sirius were so angry now.

"They don't know just how much he's stealing," Sirius said.

"Ron, what are you staring at?" Hermione asked suddenly. Elizabeth looked to see Ron was straightening up in his seat to stare at the bar.

"Nothing," Ron said quickly, ducking down again.

"I bet 'nothing's in the back getting more firewhiskey," Hermione said with a bit of a smirk. Elizabeth noticed that Helene didn't look at all pleased, frowning towards the bar.

No one spoke after that. Elizabeth's mind kept drifting between the sickening feeling that was growing stronger in her stomach and the way Susan had stormed off. She had a feeling she knew why Susan was upset. The two were so close, yet Elizabeth was realizing there was very little she'd actually told her friend about. She couldn't help but feel guilty about that. She needed to fix it, to explain as much as she could...

"How about I walk you up to the castle?" Sirius asked when they'd all finished their butterbeer, "I'd love some more time, but this weather's getting rough. And maybe I can talk with Dumbledore or Minerva about Mundungus."

Elizabeth was eager for the chance. She wanted to find Susan and explain things. Everyone bundled up in their scarves and coats, following Katie Bell of the Gryffindor Quidditch team who was a bit ahead with one of her friends. As they braved the weather outside, sleet began to fall. It wasn't long before Elizabeth was freezing and eager to be back in the castle for more than just talking to Susan.

"What happened with Susan?" Hermione asked in a whisper as they started out of Hogsmeade. Elizabeth hugged her coat tightly around her against the wind.

"I think she's realizing there's a lot I've never told her," Elizabeth muttered, "She's one of my closest friends and...well..."

"It's nothing to do with you, Leanne!" a voice up ahead came before Hermione could say anything. Both girls looked up to see Katie and her friend stopped up ahead.

It seemed they had been arguing about something wrapped in paper that Katie was carrying. Leanne was stepping towards Katie, trying to grab the small package but Katie stepped the way. For just a brief second, there was a struggle over the package before it slipped from both girls' gloved hands and hit the icy ground.

Before anyone could react, Katie was rising into the air. Her arms were outstretched and her eyes were closed, her face blank. The wind was whipping her hair and clothes around her, but Katie seemed completely unaware of what was happening to her. Then, just as suddenly as she'd began rising, Katie started to scream. Instantly, everyone rushed forward to try and pull Katie from the air. Just as Harry and Leanne had grabbed her by the ankles, however, Katie plunged to the ground. She was still screaming and now thrashed about.

"Let me through," Sirius demanded, hurrying forward. Leanne was screaming herself, knelt next to her friend and trying to stop her from thrashing around.

"Please, I want to help," Sirius said as he bent down, "I'll take your friend up to the school, okay? Madam Pomfrey will be able to help her."

Leanne was sobbing, but she nodded weakly as she pulled back. Sirius pulled Katie up into his arms, holding her as best he could with her thrashing, and hurried off towards the castle. Leanne was still sobbing. Elizabeth hurried over, kneeling next to the girl and putting an arm around her.

"It's Leanne, isn't it?" Hermione asked gently, coming over as well "Did it just happen all of a sudden, or—"

"It was when that package tore," Leanne said weakly, nodding towards the wrapped object on the ground near Helene. She squat down next to it, but Harry pulled her back.

"Don't touch it," he said, picking up a stick. He pushed at the paper a bit, then frowned. "I've seen that before. It was on display at Borgin and Burkes ages ago. The label said it was cursed. Katie must have touched it."

Leanne was trembling harder now and Elizabeth rubbed her arm comfortingly.

"Do you know where Katie got this?" she asked softly.

"No," Leanne said, "That's why we were arguing. She came back from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks holding it, said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it. She looked all funny when she said it...Oh no, oh no, I bet she'd been Imperiused and I didn't realize!"

Leanne buried her face in her hands. Elizabeth rubbed her arm again, hugging the girl close. All she could think about was how she'd feel if it had been one of her friends, how devastated she'd feel.

It was then Elizabeth realized the sickening feeling she'd had all day was gone now. It only made her feel worse, wondering if she could have found some way to stop this.

"She didn't say who'd given it to her, Leanne?" Hermione was asking.

"No...she wouldn't tell me..." Leanne's voice was shaking more now and she kept her face hidden in her hands, "And I said she was being stupid and not to take it up to the school, but she just wouldn't listen and...and then I tried to grab it from her...and—and—'

Leanne broke down into sobs, shaking harder. Elizabeth kept her arm around the girl.

"I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will fix her up straight away," Elizabeth said, looking to the others, "We should get going. I'm sure Sirius is waiting."

Harry nodded, pulling off his scarf and going towards the package nearby. Elizabeth could see something black glinting from the paper as she watched Harry scoop it into his scarf, wrapping it several times to make sure he wouldn't accidentally touch it.

"We'll need to show this to Madam Pomfrey," Harry said on Ron and Helene's shocked looks.

Elizabeth helped Leanne to her feet, keeping her arm around the girl's shoulders as they started towards the school. The others were following behind and Elizabeth could hear Harry talking, but couldn't make out exactly what over the wind blowing around them.

By the time they reached the grounds, Elizabeth was numb from cold. She noticed Filch watching them, but Professor McGonagall was hurrying towards them.

"Sirius showed up with Katie Bell," she said, "He said she'd been cursed and the rest of you were coming—what's that you're holding, Potter?"

"It's the thing she touched," Harry said and McGonagall's face went pale.

"Good lord," she said, then as Filch came over, "They're with me! Take this necklace to Professor Snape at once, but be sure not to touch it, keep it wrapped in the scarf!"

Filch looked disappointed but took the scarf-wrapped necklace from Harry before heading off. Elizabeth and the others followed behind Professor McGonagall through the castle until they reached McGonagall's office. Elizabeth helped Leanne into one of the chairs, glancing around and noticing Sirius was there as well—he'd clearly been told to wait there after taking Katie to the hospital wing.

"Well?" Professor McGonagall asked as she closed the door, "What happened?"

Leanne, trembling and crying, told McGonagall the same story she had told the others. Elizabeth stayed next to her still, a hand on her shoulder as the girl spoke. As she got to the point of Katie being pulled into the air, however, Leanne broke off and began sobbing harder.

"All right," McGonagall said in a stern, yet somehow comforting voice, "Go on up to the hospital wing, please, Leanne, and get Madam Pomfrey to give you something for shock."

"I'll take 'er," Helene offered, gently helping Leanne to her feet and heading out of the room. McGonagall waited until they were gone before turning back to the others.

"What happened when Katie touched the necklace?" she asked.

"She rose up into the air and then began to scream," Harry said quickly, "And collapsed. Professor, can I see Professor Dumbledore, please?"

Sirius looked confused, glancing towards the others. Elizabeth was wondering what Harry wanted to talk to Dumbledore about so urgently.

"The headmaster is away until Monday, Potter," McGonagall said, "Anything you have to say about this horrible business can be said to me, I'm sure!"

Harry seemed to hesitate. He glanced to the others, then to Sirius before turning back to McGonagall.

"I think Draco Malfoy gave Katie that necklace, Professor."

Elizabeth fought back a groan. She had thought Harry had given up on his theories about Malfoy but it seemed she had been wrong.

"Malfoy?" Sirius asked, "Lucius Malfoy's brat?"

McGonagall gave Sirius a stern look.

"Would you mind waiting outside, Sirius?" she asked sharply. Sirius glared, but left the room. McGonagall waited until he was gone before turning back to the others.

"That is a very serious accusation, Potter," McGonagall said, her tone showing she didn't believe him any more than anyone else did, "Do you have any proof?"

"No, but..." Harry said slowly, "But we heard him talking with Mr. Borgin at that shop in Knockturn Alley back during summer—"

"What were you doing down Knockturn Alley?" McGonagall cut in.

"We were following Malfoy!" Harry said, "He was acting suspicious so we followed and he went into Borgin and Burkes and bullied him into helping him repair something."

"Malfoy took something to Borgin and Burkes for repair?" McGonagall asked.

"No, Professor, he just wanted Borgin to tell him how to mend something," Harry said quickly, "He didn't have it with him. But that's not the point, the thing is that he bought something at the same time, and I think it was that necklace—"

"You saw Malfoy leaving the shop with a similar package?"

"No, he didn't take it," Harry said, "He told Borgin to keep it in the shop for him—"

"But Harry," Hermione said, "Borgin asked him if he wanted to take it with him, and Malfoy said no—"

"Because he didn't want to touch it, obviously!"

"What he actually said was, 'How would I look carrying that down the street?'" Hermione pointed out.

"Well, he would look a bit of a prat carrying a necklace," Ron said. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"It's easy to hide a necklace," Elizabeth said, "It would be wrapped up and in his pocket. Besides, he could just tell anyone he got it for a girlfriend or his mother."

"Exactly," Hermione added, "I think whatever he reserved at Borgin and Burks was noisy or bulky, something he knew would draw attention to him if he carried it down the street—and in any case, I asked Borgin about the necklace, don't you remember? When I went in to try and find out what Malfoy had asked him to keep, I saw it there. And Borgin just told me the price, he didn't say it was already sold or anything—"

"Well, you were being really obvious," Harry cut in, "He realized what you were up to within about five seconds, of course he wasn't going to tell you—anyway, Malfoy could've sent off for it since—"

"They check all the owls coming in, Harry!" Elizabeth said, "He couldn't—"

"That's enough!" Professor McGonagall raised her voice, her face an expression of fury, "Potter, I appreciate you telling me this, but we cannot point the finger of blame at Mr. Malfoy purely because he visited the shop where the necklace might have been purchased. The same is probably true of hundreds of people—"

"That's what I said," Ron muttered.

"—and in any case, we have put stringent security measures in place this year. As Elizabeth said, everything coming into this school is thoroughly searched. I do not believe that necklace can possibly have entered this school without our knowledge—"

"But—"

"—and what is more, Mr. Malfoy was not in Hogsmeade today."

Elizabeth stared, glancing to Harry. His eyes were wide with disbelief.

"How do you know, Professor?" he asked.

"Because he was doing detention with me," McGonagall said, "He has now failed to complete his Transfiguration homework twice in a row. So, thank you for telling me you suspicions, Potter, but I need to go up to the hospital wing now and check on Katie Bell. Good day to you all."

They left the room and found Sirius waiting outside. Elizabeth sighed, finding herself thinking how much of a disaster this day had been, from Katie to Susan.

"I...I'll meet you guys later," Elizabeth said, looking to the others, "I've got something I need to take care of."

Elizabeth turned and headed off down the corridor, leaving the others behind. She was sure whatever theories about what happened would be Harry pushing the "Malfoy is a Death Eater" again. Right now, Elizabeth had something else far more important to talk about. She had to find Susan. She had a lot of explaining to do to one of her closest friends.


	13. Promises

_**Chapter Thirteen:**_

 _ **Promises**_

Elizabeth found Susan in the Hufflepuff common room. She made her way over to where Susan was sitting by herself in a corner away from everyone else, absorbed in a book. Elizabeth paused beside her friend, suddenly unsure of what to say.

"There something you need?" Susan asked, not looking up from her book. Elizabeth fidgeted a little. There was a definite coolness to her friend's tone.

"Can we talk?" Elizabeth asked, "Somewhere private?"

Susan glanced up, raising an eyebrow at Elizabeth. She sighed, placing a bookmark between the pages of her book and standing up.

"All right," she said.

Elizabeth led Susan from the common room, finding a storage room along the basement passageway. Extra desks, tables, and chairs were scattered around but there wasn't anyone else there. Elizabeth still did a quick casting to keep out ghosts before she and Susan sat in two of the chairs.

"Aren't you going a bit overboard?" Susan asked as she watched Elizabeth.

"There's a lot I have to tell you," Elizabeth muttered, "And I don't want anyone overhearing."

"Does this have to do with how you never bothered to tell me that you know Sirius Black?"

Elizabeth flinched a little at the harshness in Susan's voice. She bit her lower lip, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"I'm sorry about that," she said softly, "It's just...I've known him for over two years now and—"

"Two _years_?" Susan's eyes went wide, her face paling, "You mean you've been friends with him since he's been on the run?"

"It's really complicated," Elizabeth muttered.

Susan crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze narrowing. Elizabeth sighed, looking up to her. All at once, she began to explain as much as she could. She started with the end of their third year, telling about how they encountered Sirius and learned about his innocence. She told Susan how Sirius had been friends with Harry's father and the whole ordeal with Wormtail. She explained how they had used Hermione's time turner to help Sirius escape.

Susan already knew most of what happened their fourth year thanks to the _Quibbler_ and _Daily Prophet_ , so Elizabeth began to explain what Susan never knew in their fifth year. She told Susan about spending the summer at the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, how she'd had reoccurring nightmares throughout the entire year. She mentioned how she'd been having similar dreams before Cedric's death and how she began to realize she might actually be a Seer. She told almost the entire story of what happened at the Department of Mysteries—the prophecy was the only thing she didn't talk about. She wished she could tell Susan everything but she knew that Harry's involvement with the prophecy and his lessons with Dumbledore were something that couldn't be shared. Harry had said Dumbledore himself told him not to tell anyone outside of Elizabeth, Hermione, and Ron.

By the time Elizabeth finished talking, her throat felt raw and she was sure dinner was already over upstairs. Susan was staring at her, her face pale and her eyes wide. Elizabeth couldn't blame her. She had just unloaded a lot of information on her friend.

"It's been a lot of just...Not being allowed to talk about it," Elizabeth was growing hoarse from talking so long, "And then I guess I grew used to being around people already knowing. Then I could never really find a good time to bring all this up to tell you, and honestly I'm not even sure I'm supposed to have told you as much as I did..."

"You mean there's more?" Susan asked in disbelief. Elizabeth gave a small nod.

"I know for certain I'm not allowed to talk about it, however," she said, "All I can say is that someone very important doesn't want anyone but a select few to know right now."

Susan frowned and grew quiet again. She stood up, beginning to pace around the room. Elizabeth sat in silence herself, watching her friend. She just hoped that her lasting friendship with Susan would hold up after she found out how much Elizabeth hadn't been telling her.

"Could you get into trouble for telling me all this?" Susan finally asked, looking back to Elizabeth. Elizabeth bit her lip, thinking it over.

"The stuff I told you about the Order, probably," she said slowly. She didn't tell Susan where the headquarters were, however—not that Susan would be able to find it anyway—or just how many members there were. She just mentioned the Weasleys were a part of it and her aunt had been before she died.

"And there's more that you know for certain you can't tell me?"

Elizabeth nodded. Susan sighed, coming over and sitting next to Elizabeth again.

"Thank you," she said finally, "I won't tell anyone, I swear."

Elizabeth felt a wave of relief go through her. She was so glad that Susan understood just what Elizabeth was risking here. She grinned at her friend.

"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Sirius," she said, "And there will be times where I can't tell you about other things..."

"It's fine," Susan said, "I never realized you'd gone through so much...You never talk about it."

"I tend to do that," Elizabeth muttered, finding herself thinking of Neville.

She'd been on him about keeping things in, not telling others about his problems. She knew she was the same but it was odd having to face it with Susan.

"Well, you need to change that," Susan said as she got up, "Come on, let's get some late dinner and get back to the common room before curfew."

Elizabeth grinned a little.

"Sounds good to me," she said, getting up and following her friend out of the room.

 **xxxxx**

The following morning, the news of what happened to Katie Bell had spread across the entire school. Theories went around about how it could have happened, though no one could come up with any answers. Worse yet, Harry was still on his obsession that Malfoy was behind it, despite how Malfoy wasn't even at Hogsmeade that day.

Elizabeth was more interested in learning how Harry's lesson with Dumbledore had gone. Tuesday morning after breakfast, Elizabeth waited outside the Great Hall so she could get the story.

"Dumbledore took me into one of his own memories," Harry said as they headed out into the misty grounds to head to Herbology. He went on to explain how Voldemort had been raised in an orphanage after his mother had died giving birth to him. Voldemort apparently had been evil even from the start. He tormented the other orphans and stole from them. When Dumbledore visited and told the young Voldemort about Hogwarts and magic, he had accepted it so readily because he wanted to be considered special. He refused help in going to Diagon Alley and doing shopping, preferring to be independent.

Harry finished by telling them that Dumbledore had vowed to keep an eye on Voldemort when he came to Hogwarts. Elizabeth's mind was whirling as they entered the greenhouses. She didn't have a chance to talk with them, however, because she had to head over to where Neville was waiting at their station. They'd been working together since the start of term and this was a project that needed a lot of concentration.

"Morning, Neville," Elizabeth said with a grin as she twisted her hair up into a bun, "Planning to fight or grab today?"

"I think I'll grab the pods," Neville replied, "I seem to fish them out better than you."

"Fine with me," Elizabeth said and made sure her gloves and goggles were secure before putting in the mouth guard.

Gnarled Snargaluff stumps were very difficult to deal with and Neville had been right. He was much better at getting the pods from the stump. Elizabeth was fine with taking the offensive side and battle the stump while Neville stuck his arm down the hole.

Over the next couple of weeks, Elizabeth found herself spending more time with Neville outside of Herbology as well. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had Potions where Elizabeth didn't. Harry and Ron also had Quidditch practice several times a week, so Elizabeth was often left with time to spend with other friends. Most of the time it was Susan, but Elizabeth spent a lot of time with Neville in the library, working on homework or talking about their Herbology project. Mostly what they talked about, however, was the upcoming first Quidditch match of the season: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Both were eager to see Slytherin lose.

They had been in the middle of one of these conversations just days before the match, their homework forgotten on the table in front of them, when Ginny appeared at the table. She slumped down into a chair, a sour look on her face.

"Practice didn't go well?" Elizabeth asked slowly. It was a bit early for Ginny to be back in the castle.

"Ron's being a prick," Ginny said bitterly, "He was going off on everyone at practice, then went off on me and Dean afterwards."

"Why?" Elizabeth asked. Ginny snorted.

"Because he's Ron," she said, "Does he need a reason to go off on anyone?"

Elizabeth frowned. It was true that Ron did have a habit of being rude and often in uncalled-for times, but it was because something was nagging him. Ron didn't have much self-confidence and had a bad habit of letting that eat at him then would take it out on others.

"Maybe he's nervous about the match," Neville offered, "Nerves can mess with you."

"Doesn't excuse him being a git," Ginny said, "I think he's just jealous that he's never had a girlfriend."

"Who's never 'ad a girlfriend?"

The three looked up to see Helene had come over, a pile of books in her arms. She frowned at the group, adjusting the books and looking to Ginny.

"Ron," Ginny said, "He's being rude to everyone and thinks his opinion is the only one that matters. Honestly, Helene, I have no idea what you—"

"I'm sure 'e'll be fine after ze first match," Helene said quickly, "'e did great at ze match for ze Cup last year, didn't 'e?"

"Yeah, well, it doesn't excuse how he's acting," Ginny hissed, pushing herself to her feet with a sigh, "Do you need some help with those books?"

"Oui," Helene gave her friend a grin, "I'm trying to get zem all back to zeir shelves."

Ginny and Helene headed off and Elizabeth looked back to Neville, grinning a little.

"Nothing like a little family drama to brighten the day, huh?" she asked. Neville grinned in return.

"I'm sure Ron'll be okay," he said, "Like you said, he's probably just worked up about the match."

"Ginny's right, though," Elizabeth said, "He really needs to stop taking out his issues on everyone around him." Elizabeth glanced a Neville, deciding to take a chance. "Not that keeping it all in is any better."

Neville fidgeted, suddenly far too interested in his abandoned Charms essay.

"I was hoping you'd given up on that," he muttered.

"I'm persistent," Elizabeth replied with a sheepish grin. Elizabeth was pleased to see Neville grin a little himself.

"I'm not used to talking about these things," he said.

"Neither am I," Elizabeth pointed out, "We've known each other for years, and we know about what the other goes through, but neither of us talk about it." Elizabeth paused, reaching over and putting her hand over Neville's. "How about we make a deal? Talking to each other won't be sharing anything we don't already know. So how about we agree that we will talk to each other? If you have a problem, you can talk to me. If I have a problem, I can talk to you. We'll rely on each other."

"You have—"

"Don't you dare say I have enough problems myself," Elizabeth cut in, "That's my point. They'll be less of a problem if we both share with each other."

"You sound like one of those self-help articles," Neville muttered.

Elizabeth flushed, pulling her hand away from Neville's.

"So what if I do?" she asked, "I'm still right. I want to be here for you, Neville. No matter what."

Neville glanced up at Elizabeth, giving her a small smile that sent a wave of relief through the girl. She grinned in response.

"Thank you," was all he said. Elizabeth nodded, tucking some of her hair back behind her ear.

"Anytime," she replied, "But I think for now we've been ignoring this homework long enough..."

The rest of the evening was spent in a comfortable silence as they worked on their Charms essay. Elizabeth was ecstatic, however. It seemed she'd finally broken through Neville's shell. Maybe she'd get him to realize how amazing he was after all.


	14. Trickery

_**Chapter Fourteen:**_

 _ **Trickery**_

The day of the Quidditch match came with perfect weather. Elizabeth was chatting excitedly with Susan and Ernie as they made their way to seats in the stands. Most of the other Hufflepuffs were already there, but Justin and Roger had saved seats along one of the front rows. The first match of the year was always an exciting one and this one proved to be doubly-so for the fact it was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Their rivalry was always the most heated in the school.

"I heard Slytherin has two last-minute substitutes today," Roger said as they were all settling in, "Malfoy and one of their Chasers both claimed to be too ill to play."

"Stroke of luck for Gryffindor," Oliver said, leaning forward from the seats behind them, "From what I've heard about how their practices have been going, they need it."

Elizabeth glared at them.

"They've been doing perfectly well," she said, even though she knew otherwise, "Harry's put together a good team."

"I hope so," Megan said, "Considering half the team are friends of his, he's got a lot to prove."

"Harry's a fair captain, he wouldn't pick someone just because he's friends with them," Elizabeth shot back.

"We'll see," Oliver said. Elizabeth glared at them, but turned ahead as the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams came out onto the field. Elizabeth cheered with the Hufflepuffs and somewhere in the distance she could hear a lion roar. It seemed Luna was wearing the hat she and Helene had made the year before. She wondered if it was still morbidly chewing that oversized snake.

"Well, there they go," a familiar voice came from the commentary booth nearby and Elizabeth groaned. Who in their right mind let Zacharias Smith commentate the matches?

"I think we're all surprised to see the team Potter's put together this year," Zacharias went on, "Many thought, given Ronald Weasley's patchy performance as Keeper last year, that he might be off the team, but of course, a close personal friendship with the Captain does help..."

"Shut it, Zacharias," Elizabeth muttered, glaring towards the commentary booth. Ron had enough self-esteem issues. He didn't need this to add to it.

"Oh, here comes Slytherin's first attempt on goal, it's Urquhart streaking down the pitch and—oh. Weasley saves it, well, he's bound to get lucky sometimes, I suppose..."

Yet Ron's first save was a sign of what was to come. Half an hour in, Ron had blocked every shot that came his way. Ginny as a Chaser was doing just as well, scoring most of the goals Gryffindor made. Zacharias didn't have much to say about the team after that.

Elizabeth cheered and screamed with every goal Gryffindor made and every save Ron did against the Slytherin Chasers. It was quickly becoming one of the best—and completely one-sided—matches Hogwarts had in a long time. Gryffindor might have been struggling in practice but the result with today's match seemed it was all worth it. The match was amazing even down to the finish: Harry and Harper—the Slytherin replacement Seeker—were racing neck-and-neck for the snitch until Harper seemed to completely miss it, clearing the way for Harry to snatch the small gold ball.

"I'm going to go congratulate the team," Elizabeth said to Susan, slipping away from the crowd. She was halfway across the field towards the Gryffindor locker rooms when she noticed Hermione making her way over. For some reason, even though Gryffindor had won the match, Hermione looked anything but pleased.

"Hermione?" Elizabeth asked as she got closer, "What's wrong? Gryffindor won!"

"Not fairly," Hermione said bitterly, "This morning during breakfast, Harry slipped his Felix Felicis into Ron's pumpkin juice."

"What?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief, staring at Hermione, "He...He wouldn't do that!"

"I saw him," Hermione said bitterly, "I couldn't believe it either but I saw him do it."

Elizabeth felt dizzy. She'd known Harry for five years now and he was always a fair person. Even during the Triwizard Tournament, he always tried to play on even ground. He shared with Cedric about the dragons when he never had to, just because it was a fair thing to do. It just didn't make any sense for Harry to waste his lucky potion on something as small as a school Quidditch game.

"Maybe...Maybe there's something we don't know," Elizabeth said slowly, "I mean..."

"You know Harry takes the rivalry with Slytherin too far sometimes," Hermione said, "Anything to get one over on Malfoy."

"But Malfoy didn't even play in today's match!" Elizabeth said, "Come on, let's just talk to him, okay?"

"I know what I saw," Hermione said, but she headed for the locker room with Elizabeth.

Just as they got to the door, Ginny and Dean were heading out, Dean's arm around Ginny's waste and the two talking cheerfully. They waited for the couple to pass before heading into the locker room. Ron and Harry were the only two left. Elizabeth was about to ask Harry about what happened when Hermione stepped forward.

"I want a word with you, Harry," Hermione said quickly, "You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, it's illegal."

"What're you going to do, turn us in?" Ron asked sharply.

"What are you two talking about?" Harry asked, turning away from them.

"Harry," Elizabeth moved forward before Hermione could speak up again, "Hermione told me what happened and I can't believe it—"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked and Elizabeth could see he was fighting a grin. What was wrong with him?

"You spiked Ron's juice with lucky potion at breakfast!" Hermione said shrilly.

"No, I didn't," Harry said, turning back to everyone. Elizabeth stared at him, taken aback. She couldn't believe Harry would do such a thing but Hermione seemed so determined.

"Yes you did, Harry, and that's why everything went right," Hermione said, "There were Slytherin players missing and Ron saved everything!"

"I didn't put it in!" Harry said, pulling out a small bottle of gold liquid, "I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking, Hermione." Harry turned to Ron at that. "You saved everything because you _felt_ lucky. You did it all yourself!"

He was grinning brightly as he pocketed the potion but Elizabeth only felt worse. She stared at her friend in disbelief and disgust.

"There really wasn't anything in my pumpkin juice?" Ron asked slowly, "But the weather's good...and Vaisey couldn't play...I honestly haven't been given lucky potion?"

Harry was still grinning as he shook his head. Ron spun on Hermione, starting up a mocking imitation of her, " _You added Felix Felicis to Ron's juice this morning, that's why he saved everything!_ See! I can save goals without help, Hermione!"

Ron didn't wait for a response, heading off out of the locker room. Elizabeth kept her focus on Harry.

"That was a disgusting trick, Harry," she said softly, "Not only to Ron, but to Hermione too."

"You could have told me what you were doing," Hermione said sharply, "I would have told you what a stupid idea it was!"

"It worked, didn't it?" Harry asked. Elizabeth glared at him.

"And what are you going to do at the next match?" she asked, "Pretend to spike his juice again so he'll have the confidence to play?"

Harry stared at Elizabeth and she went on before he could speak up.

"Ron needs to get confidence on his own," she said, "What you did was nasty to him and Hermione. You're making Ron think he can't do anything unless he has a crutch. He has to learn he doesn't need to be tricked to be a good player, because he _is_ a good Quidditch player, Harry. A great one. And what you did to Hermione was just as bad. She's right, you could have told her what you were doing. Instead, you made her think you were taking rivalry too far and put her in a hard spot."

"Elizabeth," Hermione said, "I don't think—"

"I should get back to my common room," Elizabeth cut in, "I'll see you later."

With that, Elizabeth turned and headed out of the locker room and started across the castle grounds. She just needed to get away for a moment. She needed to clear her head. She couldn't believe Harry had sunk so low, played such a nasty trick, just to win a match.

Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head as she reached the castle. She doubted Harry would listen to anything she said about what had happened. It was going to have to be one of those things they just pretended didn't happen and move on.

 **xxxxx**

When Elizabeth and Susan left the common room for breakfast the next day, they found Helene and Ginny in the basement corridor. Elizabeth knew at once something was wrong. They were both sitting on the ground, Ginny's arm around Helene and heads close together. As Elizabeth and Susan got closer, Elizabeth could distinctly hear the snuffle of someone crying. Elizabeth glanced over at Susan.

"I'll see you later," Susan said, seeming to sense this was something she couldn't help with. She headed on towards the stairs while Elizabeth squatted down in front of Ginny and Helene.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Now down at their level, she could see it was Helene who was crying and Ginny was trying to comfort her.

Ginny glanced up at Elizabeth, then looked to Helene. She seemed unsure about what to say, but Helene gave a small nod.

"G-go ahead," she managed, sniffling as she wiped tears from her face.

"Helene's fancied Ron a lot since summer," Ginny said slowly, rubbing Helene's arm as the girl stayed curled up against her friend, "And, well...I caught her before breakfast to tell her myself, but last night at the celebration party, Ron and Lavender got together. They're dating now."

"Oh, Helene..." Elizabeth said slowly. She at first was going to say she didn't know but thinking back, she had to admit the signs were a bit obvious. The way Helene made excuses to come over and talk with them. How secretive she'd suddenly been about her sketchbook. The way she was always defending Ron...

"Listen," Ginny said, "We don't have classes today. Why don't we get Luna and spend the day together, just us girls?"

Helene sniffled a little, pulling from Ginny and looking up at them.

"Zat s-sounds nice," she said, "I sh-should go get my sketchbook."

"We'll meet you in the entrance hall," Elizabeth said, "I'll let Susan know I'm spending the day with you."

Helene gave a small nod as Ginny helped her to her feet. Ginny gave Elizabeth a grateful look before leading her friend off to the stairs. Elizabeth sighed, tucking back some of her hair. Why couldn't she go back to when things were simple? Just being friends without the complications of crushes or underhanded tricks to get someone to have confidence in himself. Elizabeth missed the simpler times, though she had a feeling that this was only be beginning. As she made her way to the Great Hall, she had the sinking feeling that things were just going to get worse.


	15. Christmas Party

_**Chapter Fifteen:**_

 _ **Christmas Party**_

With Ron now dating Lavender, Helene didn't spend as much time around the group as she used to. Elizabeth hadn't realized how much Helene came around until she had stopped. Elizabeth didn't know if Ron had noticed since she often avoided him as well—at least, when Lavender was around. It was too awkward and embarrassing to be around a couple that did nothing but snog. Instead, she spent her time in the library with Harry, Hermione, and Susan, trying to work on their homework. At least one plus of Susan being around is that Harry didn't bring out his Potions book.

As the end of the term approached, it seemed that Slughorn's upcoming Christmas party was the biggest topic. Elizabeth noticed most girls were all-but stalking Harry, trying to catch his attention and hinting to him that they wanted to go to the party with him. Harry was looking more stressed than Elizabeth had seen him in a while, constantly taking out-of-the-way paths around the castle.

"You should just ask someone and get it over with, Harry," Elizabeth said the day before the party when she caught him hiding in a stairwell, "Girls will leave you alone then."

"There's not anyone I want to go with," Harry said.

"Just invite a friend," Elizabeth replied, "It doesn't have to be about a date."

Harry was quiet, then looked to Elizabeth, studying her closely.

"What about you?" he asked. Elizabeth stared at him.

"I've never really been interested in Slughorn's favoritism," she said, "I'm fine without his parties."

"But I have to ask _someone_ ," Harry said.

Elizabeth gave a sigh. She really didn't want to go to this party, but she knew Harry needed help. She and Hermione had seen the other day that girls were willing to go to any length to get a date with Harry.

"Fine," she said reluctantly, "I'll meet you at Slughorn's office, okay?"

"Thanks," Harry said and there was noticeable relief in his voice.

The following night, Elizabeth made her way to Slughorn's office. She didn't have any formal clothes with her at Hogwarts and given the last minute, she had borrowed a dress from Susan. Susan was shorter than Elizabeth, however, so the dress stopped a few inches above her ankles instead of going all the way down. Elizabeth had always been a little taller than most girls.

Harry came around the corner, wearing simple dress robes. He hurried over to Elizabeth and gave her an awkward grin.

"It's a good thing you agreed to come," Harry said, "Last night, when Hermione and I went back to the common room, I was ambushed by Romilda Vane. She tried to give me these Cauldron Cakes. Hermione thinks they were spiked with Love Potion."

Elizabeth pursed her lips but didn't say anything. She still strongly disagreed with Fred and George's decision to sell Love Potions. A feeling that was only strengthened when she learned about Voldemort's parents.

"Well, shall we go in?" Elizabeth asked instead. Harry nodded.

The inside of Slughorn's office seemed like it was bigger than most teacher's and he'd decorated for Christmas. The walls were covered in red, green, and gold hangings that joined together in the center of the ceiling where a large, golden light hung. The room was crowded with people. Elizabeth already didn't like being here. She hated crowds. At least there was music playing nearby and Elizabeth could see house elves moving through the crowd with trays of food. She wondered what Hermione was going to say about this.

"Harry, m'boy!" Slughorn called, coming towards Elizabeth and Harry, "Come in, come in, so many people I'd like you to meet!"

Slughorn started to pull Harry off into the crowd. Elizabeth was glad that she was being ignored. She could go find Hermione. Harry tried to grab her arm but Elizabeth slipped from his grasp. As she headed through the crowd, she was very aware of Harry glaring after her.

It took a moment, but Elizabeth finally found Hermione in one corner of the room, talking very animatedly with a young man with blond hair, who only seemed a year or two out of Hogwarts. He was too young to be one of Slughorn's old students so Elizabeth wondered how he'd been invited.

"Oh, Elizabeth!" Hermione said brightly as she approached, "Where's Harry?"

"Trapped by Slughorn," Elizabeth said, "Who'd you bring?"

"No one," Hermione admitted and Elizabeth stared.

"So Harry could have asked you?"

"No, I purposely kept my option open," Hermione said, "Just in case Ron changed his mind at the last minute. I guess he didn't want to upset Lavender, though."

"Should I leave you two?" asked the blond man, a light, teasing tone to his voice as he grinned at Elizabeth and Hermione.

"Oh, sorry," Hermione said quickly—Elizabeth noticed her cheeks flushed slightly, "Elizabeth, this is Niles Doge. I just bumped into him and we started talking."

Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly as she looked to the man Hermione had been talking with. He gave an awkward smile in return.

"Take it you know me," he said, that same light teasing in his voice.

"My friend loves your book," Elizabeth admitted, flushing slightly herself, "I've only recently started reading it, though."

"Good to know I have some fans," Niles said with a light laugh.

"Elizabeth! There you are!" Harry called behind them, making his way through the crowd with a goblet in each hand.

"I'll talk to you later," Elizabeth told Hermione and Niles, then made her way over to Harry. She took the goblet he offered with a grin.

"If I have to suffer through this, you do too," Harry said.

"I already told you I didn't even want to come," Elizabeth replied, "I'm not going to listen to Professor Slughorn brag about his connections."

"Shouldn't you want to make connections yourself?" Harry asked, "Wouldn't that help you be a journalist?"

Elizabeth flushed.

"Don't bring that into it," she said, not having a retort. Harry was right. To be a journalist, she was going to have to build connections of her own. She turned from Harry and almost walked right into Professor Trelawney, a woman who often wore several layers of shawls and glasses that made her eyes seem too large.

"Oh, sorry Professor," Elizabeth said, keenly aware of the smell of sherry surrounding her old Divination teacher. She felt a pang of pity towards the woman.

"Good evening," Trelawney said, squinting towards Elizabeth as if trying to figure out who she was. When she did, she started frowning. "I haven't seen you in my classes this year."

"I...er..." Elizabeth said slowly, seeing Harry smirk from the corner of her eye, "I couldn't fit it into my schedule this year, sorry..."

"They should have let you work something out!" Trelawney said, her voice starting to rise, "You, my dear, had a talent for the Inner Eye I haven't seen in many a year. Divination should have been your top priority!"

"Ah, Sybill, we all think our subject's most important!" Slughorn had made his way through the crowd—Elizabeth figured he'd been trying to find Harry and she noticed the man seemed to becoming tipsy from the mead he was drinking, "But for Harry, here, Potions is definitely his strongest! I don't think I've ever known such a natural at Potions!" Slughorn grinned as he threw an arm around Harry's shoulders, nearly spilling his drink on Elizabeth. She'd just barely managed to dodge getting mead on Susan's dress.

"Instinctive, you know—like his mother!" Slughorn said cheerfully, "I've only ever taught a few with this kind of ability, Sybill—why even Severus..."

Slughorn trailed off, looking around the room then let go of Harry long enough to pull over Snape. Elizabeth wondered why he was even here at the party. Snape wasn't the dinner party type.

"Stop skulking and come join us, Severus!" Slughorn said, giving his fellow teacher a nudge, "I was just talking about Harry's exceptional potion-making! Some credit must go to you, of course, you taught him for five years!"

Elizabeth was feeling increasingly uncomfortable but this time, she wasn't going to ditch Harry. It was one thing when Slughorn was just showing Harry off to famous people and completely another when Snape was involved. Harry and Snape had never gotten along.

"Funny," Snape said, his narrowed gaze locked on Harry, "I never had the impression that I managed to teach Potter anything at all."

"Well, then, it's a natural ability!" Slughorn said, his voice rising as if he was trying to get the entire room to hear," You should have seen what he gave me, first lesson, Draught of Living Death—never had a student produce finer on a first attempt, I don't think even you, Severus—"

"Really?" Snape sounded skeptical, still studying Harry.

Elizabeth glanced to his friend, who seemed to be avoiding looking Snape directly in the eyes. She remembered the Occlumency lessons Harry had taken last term and had a feeling Harry was trying to keep Snape from digging in his head for anything on the Half-Blood Prince's book.

"Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?" Slughorn asked, turning back to the boy.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology..."

"All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror," Snape said coolly.

"Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to do."

"And a great one you'll make, too!" Slughorn said.

Harry was avoiding speaking by taking a large gulp of his mead. At the same moment, Elizabeth noticed two people were coming through the crowd. With a jolt, she realized it was Filch, pulling Malfoy along by the scruff of his robes. Malfoy didn't look at all pleased to have been caught.

"Professor Slughorn," Filch said in that cheerful tone he reserved for thinking he was about to get a student landed in a month's worth of detentions, "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him an invitation?"

"All right, I wasn't invited!" Malfoy yanked himself free of Filch, glaring at the caretaker. "I was trying to gatecrash, happy?"

"No, I'm not!" Filch said disbelievingly with the look of glee on his face, "You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the headmaster say that nighttime prowling's out, unless you got permission, didn't he, eh?"

Elizabeth, however, didn't think Malfoy was in the corridors to gatecrash a party. He was still wearing his school robes, something very unlike him for this situation. Malfoy was a boy about appearance and wealth. If he was going to sneak into a party, he would make sure to dress the part. For another, the Slytherin common rooms were in the dungeons. Malfoy would know exactly where Slughorn's office was and wouldn't accidentally go a floor above his goal when coming from the dungeons of the school. Something wasn't right.

"It's Christmas," Slughorn said, "And it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Just this once, we'll forget any punishment; you may stay, Draco."

Elizabeth's suspicions only deepened when she saw Malfoy looked less than thrilled in being allowed to stay. What was he up to? As Filch left, however, Malfoy's face shifted into a smile as he turned to Slughorn and thanked him in that suck-up way that Elizabeth had seen him use on teachers plenty of times over the years.

"It's nothing, nothing," Slughorn said simply, "I did know your grandfather, after all."

"He always spoke very highly of you, sir," Malfoy said, "Said you were the best potion-maker he'd ever known."

Elizabeth glanced to Harry, who was watching Malfoy closely. She thought about Harry's obsession that Malfoy was a Death Eater. Usually, she'd just roll her eyes about it and be annoyed. Though she still didn't believe the Death Eater thing, she had to admit something strange was going on.

"I'd like a word with you, Draco," Snape said sharply, eyeing the boy closely.

"Oh, now, Severus, it's Christmas," Slughorn turned to the man, "Don't be too hard—"

"I'm his Head of House," Snape cut in, "And I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be. Follow me, Draco."

Elizabeth watched the two leave as Slughorn sighed and turned to talk to a young witch that called for his attention. Harry tugged on the sleeve of Elizabeth's dress.

"Come on," he whispered, "Before anyone notices."

Elizabeth knew exactly what Harry was up to. For once, she didn't object. The way Malfoy had been acting was incredibly suspicious and she was curious what was going on.

' _Besides,'_ she thought, _'If Harry finds out what Malfoy is actually doing, maybe he'll give up on that Death Eater theory.'_

Elizabeth glanced around for Hermione, wondering if there was time to get her but she was again deep in conversation with Niles Doge in that same corner of the room. Elizabeth decided to leave them, slipping out into the corridor after Harry.

"Come on, before we lose them," Harry whispered, looking down the corridor where Snape and Malfoy were just disappearing around the corner.

He pulled out his Invisibility Cloak and the two huddled underneath it. As quickly as they dared, they hurried down the hallway. They both listened closely, then Harry pointed to a classroom door that had soft lights coming from underneath. The two hurried over, both leaning close to the door the best they could while staying covered in the cloak.

"...cannot afford mistakes, Draco, because if you are expelled—"

"I didn't have anything to do with it, all right?"

"I hope you are telling the truth," Snape's voice was so low Elizabeth could barely hear him, "Because it was both clumsy and foolish. Already you are suspected of having a hand in it."

"Who suspects me?" Malfoy snapped, "For the last time, I didn't do it, okay? That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about—don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work—I can stop you!"

Elizabeth's breath caught and she glanced at Harry in the silence. So Harry wasn't the only one who thought Malfoy had a hand in Katie Bell being cursed. Elizabeth's stomach churned. If even Snape thought Malfoy was up to something...

"Ah...Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see," Snape said softly, "What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?"

"I'm not trying to conceal anything from _him_ , I just don't want _you_ butting in!"

"So that is why you have been avoiding me this term? You have feared my interference? You realize that, had anybody else failed to come to my office when I had told them repeatedly to be there, Draco—"

"So put me in detention! Report me to Dumbledore!"

Elizabeth leaned closer against the door. Malfoy didn't respect authority, but he usually did think highly of Snape. Hearing them argue like this was as strange as Malfoy's excuse for trying to gatecrash.

"Listen to me," Snape finally said after a long silence, "I am trying to help you. I swore to your mother I would protect you. I made the Unbreakable Vow, Draco—"

Elizabeth felt a cold jab at those words and as Malfoy's voice rose.

"Looks like you'll have to break it, then," he said, "Because I don't need your protection! It's my job, he gave it to me and I'm doing it, I've got a plan and it's going to work, it's just taking a bit longer than I thought it would!"

"What is your plan?"

"It's none of your business!"

"If you tell me what you are trying to do, I can assist you—"

"I've got all the assistance I need, thanks, I'm not alone!"

"You were certainly alone tonight," Snape's voice hardened, "Which was foolish in the extreme, wandering the corridors without lookouts or backup, these are elementary mistakes—"

"I would've had Crabbe and Goyle with me if you hadn't put them in detention!"

"Keep your voice down!" Snape hissed, "If your friends Crabbe and Goyle intend to pass their Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. this time around, they will need to work a little harder than they are doing at pres—"

"What does it matter?" Malfoy cut in, "Defense Against the Dark Arts—it's all just a joke, isn't it, an act? Like any of us need protecting against the Dark Arts—"

"It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco! Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had not known how to act? Now listen to me! You are being incautious, wandering around at night, getting yourself caught, and if you are placing your reliance in assistants like Crabbe and Goyle—"

"They're not the only ones, I've got other people on my side, better people!"

"Then why not confide in me, and I can—"

"I know what you're up to! You want to steal my glory!"

The room beyond the door fell silent again and Elizabeth's mind was racing. She had expected for her and Harry to overhear something about Malfoy just being arrogant and not caring about the rules. Or maybe he was planning to set up Harry for something to get him into trouble when he left the party. What was going on now, however, was far from what she'd been expecting.

"You are speaking like a child," Snape finally said, "I quite understand that your father's capture and imprisonment has upset you—"

Harry grabbed Elizabeth's arm and pulled her away from the door quickly. Barely seconds later, the door was thrown open and Malfoy was heading off down the corridor. Snape followed slowly, studying where Malfoy had disappeared down the corridor before heading back to Slughorn's party.

Elizabeth glanced to Harry under the Cloak. After what they just heard, she couldn't help but wonder if Harry had been right all along. What if Malfoy really had been made a Death Eater?


	16. Home

_**Chapter Sixteen:**_

 _ **Home**_

Elizabeth and Harry had planned to tell Hermione and Ron about what they overheard during the train ride from Hogwarts for the holidays. This plan didn't last past breakfast, however.

"Figured I'd spend the ride with you," Susan said as they lugged their trunks to the train.

"That's fine with me," Elizabeth said. As they hunted for a compartment, Helene hurried to them with a grin.

"Zere's one up here," she said, "I'm wiz 'Arry and 'Ermione."

"What about Ron?" Susan asked, following the young Ravenclaw. Elizabeth saw her face hardened slightly.

"'E's wiz Lavender," she said shortly. Susan raised an eyebrow but Elizabeth shot her a warning glance and Susan didn't say anything.

Harry and Hermione were sitting across from each other as Elizabeth, Helene, and Susan entered the compartment. They quickly helped the two girls get their trunks into the luggage rack and Elizabeth let Cream out of the carrier. The cat immediately stretched and jumped into Helene's lap, curling up.

"Where's Sarah?" Hermione asked Susan as they settled into seats and the train began to move.

"With Jenny," Susan said, referring to the Ravenclaw girl Sarah had become friends with, "Anyway, I've wanting to ask how Slughorn's party last night was."

Elizabeth and Harry exchanged a glance, thinking of what they overheard between Malfoy and Snape. Elizabeth had a sinking feeling forming in her stomach that she tried to ignore. It was one that had been working its way in since the night before and she was sure it had to do with what Malfoy was up to. She just hoped there would be a chance to talk to Hermione about it before they reached King's Cross.

"Oh, it was quite lovely," Hermione said brightly, "There were actually a few interesting guests—"

"Including Niles Doge?" Elizabeth asked with a smirk. Hermione's face flushed.

"You met him?" Susan turned to Elizabeth, "And you didn't get me an autograph?"

"Didn't think to," Elizabeth said, glancing away. In truth, after the event with Malfoy and things had calmed down, she had asked Niles for an autographed copy of his book for Susan for Christmas. Shockingly, he'd offered to give her an advanced copy of his upcoming sequel to the book. Elizabeth was sure it was something to make Susan's day.

"He's really a nice guy," Hermione said, "And has some interesting stories. His great-uncle was actually friends with Dumbledore when they were in school."

"I'm looking forward to some time at 'ome," Helene spoke up, apparently not eager to hear about what famous people the others had met the night before, "Mama is even planning to visit France again so we can spend Christmas wiz my grandparents. I zink I'll go zis time."

"You should," Elizabeth said, "You might not get another chance to visit them for a while."

The day was spent chatting about their holiday plans and how eager they were for some time away from school. Elizabeth was looking forward to being back home. She missed her mother and Ursula and she was hoping maybe the Christmas spirit would bring Lewis home. She doubted it, however. He hadn't even sent Elizabeth so much as a card for her seventeenth birthday.

As the afternoon wore on, Elizabeth and Hermione had to leave the compartment to check on students in their prefect duties. Elizabeth decided this would be a good time to fill Hermione in on what she and Harry had overheard the night before.

"I'm starting to think Harry's been right all along," Elizabeth said as she finished the recap for Hermione, "What if Malfoy really is a Death Eater now?"

Hermione didn't answer right away, pausing to inform a group of third years in their compartment that climbing the luggage racks was not allowed, then turned to Elizabeth as they started down the corridor again.

"Did they actually ever say who Malfoy's 'master' was?" she asked, "I mean, couldn't it refer to his father rather than Voldemort?"

"Then why wouldn't Snape say Mr. Malfoy or 'your father'?" Elizabeth asked, "And how could Mr. Malfoy be giving his son orders when he's in Azkaban?"

"I don't know..." Hermione sighed, shaking her head.

"And what about Snape?" Elizabeth asked, "How would he even know Malfoy was up to something? And he mentioned he made an Unbreakable Vow. That's not something done lightly."

"He might have been lying," Hermione pointed out, "Claiming he made the Vow to get Malfoy to tell him what he's doing. Dumbledore trusts Snape, remember? He's a member of the Order."

"Doesn't answer how he knew Malfoy's under _someone's_ orders to do something."

"Maybe he just guessed," Hermione said, "Or maybe Dumbledore told him about Harry's suspicions and asked him to look into it."

"Maybe..." Elizabeth gave a sigh, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that Harry had been right. She'd heard the way Malfoy spoke to Snape. She'd seen the look on his face when he left that room. Malfoy was under someone's orders and Elizabeth was pretty sure that someone was Voldemort.

 **xxxxx**

Elizabeth's hope for a normal holiday seemed dashed from the start. She'd said goodbye to Harry, Helene, and Hermione, then started off across the platform with Susan to look for their parents. As they walked along, however, Elizabeth was getting another of her gut feelings that something was wrong. Worry began to build as people were leaving, yet there was no sign of Grace and Ursula. Elizabeth hadn't received any letter from her mother saying she wouldn't be here to pick her up. Grace should have been there.

"I don't see Mum..." Elizabeth said to Susan as they were making their way to where Mr. and Mrs. Bones were helping little Sarah get her trunk onto a trolley. Platform nine and three-quarters was nearly empty now, the sky above dark. The only ones left were Elizabeth, the Bones family, and a couple of other families helping students gather up things that had spilled from their trunks.

"Elizabeth?" Mrs. Bones asked as she came up with Susan, "Is something wrong? Where's Grace?"

"I...I don't know," Elizabeth said slowly, "She never showed up. She didn't send me any note saying she wouldn't be here, either...I've just got this bad feeling something's wrong."

Sarah went pale, half-hiding behind her mother. Mrs. Bones looked down at her, then back to Elizabeth.

"I'm sure everything's fine," she said, putting an arm around her younger daughter, "Maybe you're just overthinking things."

Elizabeth could tell by her tone that Mrs. Bones didn't quite believe it. She and Grace were friends, after all. She'd have known Grace wouldn't neglect coming to get her daughter, whom had no other way to get home from the train. It seemed she was speaking more to keep Sarah from becoming frightened.

"I would feel better if someone came with me to check," Elizabeth said quietly. Mr. Bones gave a nod, looking to his family.

"I'll go with Elizabeth," he said, "Can you take Sarah and Susan on home?"

"I want to come!" Susan said, stepping forward, "I want to help!"

"You're not of-age, Susan—"

"I will be in two months!"

"And that two months makes the difference," Mr. Bones said, "Just go home, Susan. I'll be back soon."

Susan didn't look at all happy. Still, she stepped back towards her mother and sister. The look she gave Elizabeth was one begging her friend to be careful. Elizabeth gave her a small nod in return.

"Why don't you take Elizabeth's trunk and cat?" Mr. Bones suggested, "We can bring them once we're sure the house is fine."

Though from his tone, Elizabeth had the feeling that he was worried about what they'd find as well.

"I don't think I can convince you to stay with the others?" Mr. Bones asked Elizabeth as they stepped away, "There's no telling what we'll find."

"It's my family," Elizabeth replied shortly, "And I'm of-age. I can make my own decisions."

"I figured as much," Mr. Bones heaved a deep sigh, "Let's go."

Mr. Bones held out his arm and Elizabeth took it, letting out a breath of air as her friend's father Apparated them to the little house Elizabeth had grown up in. The first thing Elizabeth was aware of was the fact that the lights were off in the house. It sat there, blending into the darkness and Elizabeth could barely see it. Oddly, it gave her a small sense of relief. There was no ghastly green skull hanging over the house. Death Eaters hadn't come. Still, she didn't like the fact that the house was so quiet.

"You might want to get your wand out," Mr. Bones said, his voice tense as he pulled out his own wand and muttered, " _Lumos_."

Elizabeth pulled out her wand and did the same, moving closer to the house. Her heart was racing in her chest as she approached the front door, which she noticed was cracked open slightly. Elizabeth glanced to Mr. Bones. He was standing tense, his wand raised and his gaze fixed on the open door. Elizabeth took a deep breath, stepping forward. She heard Mr. Bones whisper a warning, but Elizabeth didn't listen. She pushed open the door to her home, her wand raised still. She flicked on the lights, looking around the main room of the house. Everything looked so...normal. Nothing was out-of-place. Even Daisy was still on her perch, head tucked under her wing. It was unnerving.

"Maybe there was an emergency at the hospital?" Mr. Bones asked, looking around the room. He didn't seem able to bring his voice above a whisper. "She might not have had a chance to get a letter to you. Check if there's a note."

Elizabeth nodded though she doubted there would be a note. If her mother had to hurry for work, she would have left through Floo Network. She wouldn't have left the front door open. Then there was Ursula. She would have made sure there was somewhere for her. Most likely take her to the Weasleys—then there would have been no chance that Mrs. Weasley wouldn't have said something on the platform. Something else was going on.

Just as Elizabeth thought, she didn't find any sort of note in neither the living room nor the kitchen. Elizabeth told Mr. Bones that she was going to check the bedrooms, then headed down the hallway and started into Ursula's room. To her shock, the toddler was sitting on her bed, rubbing her eyes and obviously frightened. Elizabeth hurried to the girl and scooped her up, hugging her close. Now she knew something was wrong. Her mother wouldn't have left Ursula in the house by herself.

"It's okay, Ursula," Elizabeth whispered, bouncing the girl on her hip, "I'm here. I've got you."

Questions were running through Elizabeth's head as she tried to calm the toddler. Where was her mother? Why was Ursula here alone? What had happened?

"I was wondering when you'd show up."

Elizabeth spun around, Ursula still in her arms. She'd been hurrying to get to her cousin to the point that she hadn't bothered checking if anyone else was in the room. And the person Elizabeth saw standing in the corner was the last person she ever expected to see. A tall, kind-faced man with brown hair and a hooked nose.

"Uncle Xavier?" Elizabeth asked weakly.


	17. Dark Reunion

_**Chapter Seventeen:**_

 _ **Dark Reunion**_

The man grinned at her, though there was something off about it. There seemed to be a strain to it, like he was forcing himself to smile. Dark circles were under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in some time and his hair had grown longer, a tangled mess around his face. His clothes were ragged and dirty and Elizabeth took a slow step backwards towards the nursery room door. She knew she should have called for Mr. Bones but it seemed she couldn't find her voice.

"I've been waiting for you," Uncle Xavier said and, like with his smile, there seemed to be an odd strain to his voice. It was low and weak, as if he hadn't used it in some time.

"Wh-where's Mum?" Elizabeth asked, inching more towards the door. Uncle Xavier raised his wand with one shaking hand and aimed it at Elizabeth and Ursula.

"I'd appreciate it if you stayed in here."

Elizabeth froze. What had happened to Uncle Xavier? Something was wrong. She stared at him, taking in his disheveled appearance and the way his hands shook and a sickening thought came to her mind. What if this wasn't even her uncle? What if this was a Death Eater under the guise of Polyjuice Potion? Or worse, what if this was Xavier, under the control of an Imperius Curse? Elizabeth's family had connections to the Order of the Phoenix. Her mother was a prominent Healer at St. Mungo's. Elizabeth herself was close friends with The Boy Who Lived. She knew sooner or later her family would become a target. This, however, was worse than anything she could ever imagine.

"Where's Mum?" Elizabeth asked again, louder this time. Hopefully Mr. Bones would hear her and know something was wrong. Uncle Xavier didn't know Mr. Bones was there.

"Resting," Uncle Xavier said simply, "Why don't you sit down? We have a lot to catch up on, don't we?"

Ursula whimpered, burying her face in Elizabeth's shoulder. Elizabeth hugged the girl close and slowly moved towards a rocking chair in the corner, circling the room to cause Uncle Xavier to turn his back to the bedroom door. She saw her uncle's eyes flicker to his daughter in Elizabeth's arms and he seemed to falter slightly, struggling to keep his wand pointing at them. Was he really under the Imperius Curse and now trying to fight it?

No sooner had Elizabeth reached the rocking chair, she saw something move in the doorway. Mr. Bones took one look at the situation—Elizabeth hugging a three-year-old close to her and an unknown man with his wand raised—and acted. In one quick motion, he shot off a Stunning Curse and Uncle Xavier crumpled to the nursery floor, unconscious.

Elizabeth was trembling as she sunk into the rocking chair, staring at her uncle's unconscious form as Mr. Bones bent next to him to check who it was. When he saw it was Xavier, he cursed under his breath. Elizabeth couldn't look away from the man on the floor, her thoughts still circling towards her mother. Where was she? Was she even alive?

Mr. Bones cast a spell to bound Uncle Xavier with ropes before coming over towards Elizabeth, kneeling next to the rocking chair. When she felt a gentle touch on her arm, Elizabeth jumped, turning towards the man.

"Why don't you take Ursula to the kitchen?" Mr. Bones asked softly, "Make some tea? I'll check the other rooms and then be in there."

Elizabeth nodded slowly. She got up, looking towards her uncle again before heading to the kitchen. She got Ursula settled in a chair and noticed the girl was crying. Elizabeth sat in the chair next to her, reaching to wipe her cousin's tears—her own hands were shaking.

"Everything's going to be okay, Ursula," Elizabeth said softly, "I know it's all scary now, but it will be fine."

"What 'bout Daddy?" Ursula asked. Elizabeth paused, glancing down the hallway.

"That wasn't your daddy," she said softly, "It was a trick. Your daddy would never hurt any of us."

Ursula frowned, clearly not convinced. She was barely three. What she saw, she believed. She didn't understand the concept of Death Eaters, Polyjuice Potion, and Imperius Curses.

"Elizabeth? Oh thank heavens you're all right."

A rush of relief went through Elizabeth as she looked up quickly. Her mother was coming into the kitchen. She had a cut along her forehead but otherwise seemed unharmed. Elizabeth leapt to her feet, running over and hugging Grace. She could feel tears stinging her eyes but she fought to hold them back—if anything, for Ursula's sake. The child was already so frightened.

"I found her in her room," Mr. Bones said and from his tone, Elizabeth had a feeling her mother had been held captive in there somehow. Elizabeth looked up at her mother, who grinned at her and kissed her on the forehead before going to Ursula.

"Are you all okay?" Mr. Bones asked, "I can stay, until he—"

"I'll handle it," Grace said, "He's unconscious and bound. If in an hour he hasn't changed, I'll know. I'll take him to St. Mungo's. Otherwise...I'll contact the Aurors."

Ursula looked confused, but Elizabeth understood perfectly. They, like her, wondered if the man bound in the nursery was really Uncle Xavier or a Death Eater in disguise. They were going to give time for Polyjuice Potion to wear off before deciding what to do.

"Just...Send a message if you need anything," Mr. Bones said, "I'll bring Elizabeth's things in the morning after everything has calmed down."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said softly, "Tell Susan I'm fine, she shouldn't worry."

Mr. Bones nodded, though his expression was guarded as he left. Elizabeth sighed, looking to Grace and Ursula. Elizabeth wanted desperately to ask what had happened, but she couldn't in front of her cousin. Ursula was so young and didn't fully understand.

"I-I'll make some tea," Elizabeth said, heading for the stove. Grace nodded and looked to Ursula in the chair next to hers.

"Your daddy is sick, Ursula," Grace said "And sometimes when someone is very sick like he is, they can't control what they do. It's like he's been turned into a puppet and someone else is making him move. We're going to make sure he gets better and then he'll be back to normal. He isn't going to do anything bad again. You won't have to be afraid, I promise."

Ursula, her face wet with tears, nodded slowly. Elizabeth envied how trusting a child could be. Even if the man tied in the nursery was her uncle under the Imperius Curse, she wasn't sure she was going to be able to just let all this go.

Nearly an hour later, Ursula had fallen asleep at the table. Elizabeth and Grace both moved quietly to the girl's room where Elizabeth got Ursula tucked into bed as Grace waved her wand, causing Uncle Xavier—still unconscious—to rise into the air. Elizabeth found herself reminded of what Sirius had done to an unconscious Snape at the end of her third year. In the same way, Grace moved Uncle Xavier back to the main room of the house and lowered him carefully onto the couch, making sure the couch was facing towards the kitchen table.

"What happened, Mum?" Elizabeth asked slowly once the two of them were seated across from each other. She glanced towards Uncle Xavier on the couch, unconscious and bound by ropes.

"I'm not all that sure," Grace said, sighing as she tucked back some of her hair, "I was getting ready to go pick you up at King's Cross when I heard someone knock on the door. When I answered, I was surprised to see Xavier there. He looked so...Well, so different." Grace looked to the couch. "Before I had a chance to ask anything, he pulled his wand and...And I don't remember anything after that. I think he might have hit me with a Stunner."

"And after that, I guess he waited here for me to come home," Elizabeth said softly. She was quiet for a moment, then spoke a question she was sure on both of their minds:

"Do you think it's really him?"

"I don't know," Grace said softly, "We'll know in a few minutes. If it's Polyjuice Potion, it'll have worn off by then."

"What if he really is Uncle Xavier?" Elizabeth asked.

"Then we'll finally get answers to what he's been up to."

Elizabeth nodded slowly, watching the man on the couch. She found herself looking for any sign of her uncle in him, but it was hard with the disheveled appearance. She found herself hoping it was him and at the same time, wishing that it wasn't. She didn't like the idea that her uncle had attacked Grace, scared Ursula, and raised his wand against Elizabeth. Even if he was under the Imperius Curse.

"I want you and Ursula to come to St. Mungo's tomorrow," Grace said simply. Elizabeth looked over to her mother.

"I know the Weasleys have a lot of protection on their home, but I want the two of you to be close. Security at St. Mungo's has been better and I'd rather have the two of you close."

"Of course," Elizabeth said. She actually had no problems with this. After the scare they'd just had, she much preferred the idea of staying close to her mother. "Do you think Ursula will be okay?"

"I don't know," Grace said with a sigh, "She's young enough that she can bounce back fast. You broke your leg down at the creek when you were four, but the next day you wanted to go play down there again. Young children are quick to forgive and move on."

Elizabeth hoped her mother was right. The last thing she wanted was for Ursula to be afraid of her own father. Elizabeth looked towards Uncle Xavier on the couch. He hadn't changed. He looked exactly the same as he had when Elizabeth first saw him barely more than an hour before. Disheveled and weak, unshaven and hair long and tangled. It really was him. It was Uncle Xavier.

"Are you okay, Elizabeth?" Grace asked softly. Elizabeth frowned, looking down at her tea.

"It's just...So strange," she said, "Uncle Xavier...He's really here. After all this time and now he's..."

"When he wakes up, we'll ask him where he's been," Grace said, "But we should take him to St. Mungo's. There's no telling what he's been through."

"Should we go now?" Elizabeth asked. Grace shook her head.

"Ursula should get some sleep," she said, "We'll take him in the morning."

"Why don't you take him?" Elizabeth asked, then when Grace looked like she was going to protest, "It'll just be an hour or two, right? Besides, if you wait until morning, we'll have to deal with Ursula seeing this."

"Elizabeth..." Grace sighed, "I don't like the idea of leaving you here alone."

"I'll lock everything up," Elizabeth said, "And I'm of age—"

"But you're still my daughter."

Elizabeth sighed, pausing to finish off her tea.

"Then why don't you take Ursula and me to the Bones'?" she asked, "We can hope Ursula stays asleep and I can stay the night there. I'm sure despite the fact I told Mr. Bones to tell Susan I'm okay, she has to be worrying."

Grace was quiet for a moment as she seemed to think it over. Finally, she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Fine," she said, "I'll send him a quick owl and we'll see how it goes."

Elizabeth nodded as her mother got up, rummaging through a kitchen drawer for a spare piece of parchment. It had been a very long day and, looking at her uncle on the couch, Elizabeth was sure the next few days were going to be just as long.


	18. Christmas Challenges

_**Chapter Eighteen:**_

 _ **Christmas Challenges**_

Elizabeth didn't get any sleep that night. She spent the entire night at the Bones home, sitting with Susan on her friend's bed and talking. After Elizabeth told Susan what had happened, the two spent the night talking about anything that came to their mind to help distract Elizabeth. By the time morning came, both girls were exhausted. They were yawning as they made their way into the kitchen where Mrs. Bones had just put breakfast on the table. Sarah was already there, quickly taking a plate of bacon and eggs from her mother. Mr. Bones was helping Ursula with a bowl of porridge.

"Good morning, girls," Mr. Bones said as Susan and Elizabeth sat down, "Elizabeth, your mother sent a note not too long ago. Xavier has been admitted to St. Mungo's. Grace wants me to bring you and Ursula over after breakfast."

"Can I come?" Susan asked, "I'd like to be there for Elizabeth."

"It'd be better if—"

"I want to come, Dad!" Susan said.

"No, Susan," Mrs. Bones spoke up now, "Xavier is fine at St. Mungo's and the danger has settled. There isn't any reason for you to go. Besides, I'm sure you need to catch up on sleep."

"But—"

"It's okay, Susan," Elizabeth said softly and the girl spun to her, "After I check on Uncle Xavier, Mum is most likely going to take us back home and I'll be getting sleep myself. There's no reason to come along."

Susan sighed.

"All right," she said reluctantly, "I guess I'll see you back at Hogwarts?"

Elizabeth nodded as she finished off her breakfast. She gave Susan, Sarah, and Mrs. Bones goodbyes before getting Ursula and her bag. She followed Mr. Bones to the fireplace, then paused and looked to Susan again.

"Can you try to talk to Lewis?" she asked slowly. Susan gave an awkward grin.

"I'll try," she said, "There's no guarantee he'll talk to me."

Elizabeth nodded. Lewis deserved to know what had happened. Still, he refused to talk to his family. Maybe Susan, someone he used to date, would at least be able to get the message through.

It was a quick trip though Floo Powder to reach the hospital. Grace Martin was waiting in the lobby, so Elizabeth and Ursula were able to avoid the woman in the lobby. Elizabeth told Mr. Bones goodbye, then headed towards her mother.

"How's Uncle Xavier?" Elizabeth asked instantly.

"Asleep right now," Grace said, taking Ursula from Elizabeth, "The other Healers agree he's been under an Imperius Curse. It's taken a toll on his mind."

Elizabeth shuddered. She still remembered how the Imperius Curse had affected her when the fake Mad-Eye Moody had used it on her—and everyone else in the fourth year—while teaching them at Hogwarts. She'd only undergone it once and had been forced to break her glasses, yet it still had her feeling empty and oddly sad afterwards when she'd been released. She couldn't imagine what it had to be for someone who had been forced to attack his own family. Especially when he had already seemed to be in such a weakened state.

She was about to ask if Uncle Xavier would be okay but then she glanced to Ursula. She was barely three, but Elizabeth didn't know just how much she could understand about what was going on.

"Oh, Elizabeth you look exhausted," Grace said softly, "Why don't you go up to the tea room and get some sleep? I can take care of Ursula."

"What about Uncle Xavier?"

Grace glanced to Ursula, then back to Elizabeth.

"I doubt he's going to wake up anytime soon," she said, "Go get some rest."

 **xxxxx**

Every day of Elizabeth's Christmas holiday was spent in St. Mungo's tea room. Uncle Xavier had woken up three days after being brought to the hospital, but he was groggy and mostly unaware of his surroundings. Grace had said that it would take time for him to recover and be able to tell them what had happened. She was sure that most of it came from the fact he showed signs of being tortured. He had been broken mentally and physically.

Elizabeth couldn't stand to see her uncle in that state. The days Grace worked, she babysat Ursula in the tea room and the days that Grace was off, she was by herself. Grace refused to let Elizabeth stay at the house alone—even if Elizabeth was of-age now—but Elizabeth didn't mind. Even if she didn't visit with her uncle, it was night just to be near him.

Besides, she had her own worries. She was beginning to have nightmares more frequently. At first, they were simply normal nightmares. Dreams about being in Ursula's room and Uncle Xavier aiming his wand at her, a twisted grin on his face. These usually morphed into memories of many of the dangerous situations Elizabeth had been in over the years: the death of her aunt, being held in the Shrieking Shack when she thought Sirius was out to kill Harry, and the night in the Forbidden Forest when she met Aragog and his hundreds of children.

However, the nightmares were beginning to shift as the days went on. They became dreams of running through the Hogwarts castle, hearing screaming and sounds of fighting up ahead. No matter how much she ran, however, she couldn't find where the battle was. She'd always wake up with the sound of an explosion just in front of her.

It was one such nightmare that Elizabeth was jarred awake from on Christmas morning. She was trembling as she sat up on her bed, spotting the presents at the foot of it. She sighed, running a hand through her hair before putting on her glasses.

' _Why can't these dreams make more sense?'_ she thought with a frown. What was she supposed to do with vague nightmares of running around Hogwarts?

She tried to push them from her mind, however, and went to the presents on the foot of her bed. It was Christmas. Today, of any day, she needed to visit her uncle. Maybe he'd be better now. It had been nearly a week, after all.

Elizabeth was cheered up by the presents she had. Hermione had sent her a book full of advice and tips for writing. From Harry and Ron, she got an assortment of sweets and Susan sent her a set of self-inking quills and a journal with a note saying 'Every journalist needs something to put notes in.' Her mother had given her a wonderfully warm knitted dress that she decided to wear that day to St. Mungo's. The one down side was, yet again, there was nothing from Lewis.

Elizabeth had gotten a letter from Susan on their second day on holiday, stating that Lewis had refused to talk to her. They hadn't even heard from him when the story of Uncle Xavier being admitted to St. Mungo's was in the _Daily Prophet_ —though Elizabeth did receive letters from Harry, Ron, and Hermione about what had happened.

Once Elizabeth changed to the sweater dress her mother had given her, she brushed through her hair and headed into the kitchen. Her mother was already dressed for the day, sitting at the table with Ursula. Elizabeth came over, accepting the plate of eggs and bacon her mother gave her.

"Thank you for the necklace, Elizabeth," Grace said, reaching up to touch the small silver necklace holding a star that was around her neck, "It's very nice."

"And I love this dress," Elizabeth replied, "It's really comfortable."

Grace grinned at Elizabeth before taking a bite of her food.

"We'll head to St. Mungo's after breakfast," Grace said, "I'm hoping St. Mungo's will be...better today."

Elizabeth nodded, poking at her own food. She hoped he was better. She felt torture and being under an Imperius Curse wasn't something that could be recovered from in a few short days but she hoped her uncle would at least be well enough to talk again. To know where he was, know who his family was when they visited. Elizabeth didn't want to get to St. Mungo's and find her Uncle Xavier an empty shell.

Once they all finished breakfast, it was a quick trip to the hospital. When they reached the fourth floor, Elizabeth found herself looking towards the Janus Thickey Ward. Was Neville there already, visiting his parents? Maybe she'd stop by and tell him hello after visiting Uncle Xavier...Maybe make a trip to the gift shop for some candy, an impromptu-Christmas gift.

Elizabeth turned back to her mother and cousin, heading into a room her uncle shared with two others. As with every year, the place had been decorated with wreaths for Christmas. Uncle Xavier was sitting up in the bed closest to the door and—to Elizabeth's relief—was reading.

He looked much better than he had the night he appeared at the Martin home. He was clean-shaven now, his hair trimmed short again. Thought it was clear he hadn't fully recovered. He seemed weak still, dark circles under his eyes and his face was shallow. When he looked up at the others, there was no brightness to his eyes, no smile on his face.

"Happy Christmas, Xavier," Grace said, adjusting Ursula in her arms as she came over to the bed. She'd told Elizabeth that over the past few days, Ursula was becoming more comfortable around her father again.

"You left too early yesterday," Uncle Xavier said, "Lewis came by to see how I was doing."

"Lewis was here?" Elizabeth and her mother asked at once. Elizabeth with disbelief, Grace with hope.

"He said he was glad I was back," Uncle Xavier said, "I asked him to come by today, when you were here but he said he would be busy."

Grace looked devastated, though she tried to hide it as she put Ursula down on Uncle Xavier's bed. Elizabeth sighed as she sat in one of the chairs by the bed. It seemed Lewis still blamed her for Aunt Ginger. She had no idea what it was going to take to heal the rift that had formed in the family.

"How're you doing?" Elizabeth asked to distract herself.

"I don't know," Uncle Xavier answered with a sigh, "Things are starting to come back...And, well...I'm sorry for what I put you all through."

"Why did you leave?" Elizabeth asked.

"This isn't the time," Grace said sharply, "Elizabeth, it's Christmas. We shouldn't focus on this today."

"No, it's okay," Uncle Xavier said, "You all deserve to know the truth."

Uncle Xavier took a deep breath, letting Ursula crawl into his lap. He put an arm around her and patted her on the head, letting her play.

"I wanted to go after the Death Eaters," Uncle Xavier said softly, "I wanted to find the one that killed Ginger and..."

Uncle Xavier didn't need to finish that statement. It suddenly became very clear what he'd wanted to do. Elizabeth couldn't blame him for wanting revenge. Given the chance, she wasn't too sure she wouldn't have done the same thing.

"So you abandoned your daughter to go take revenge?" Grace's voice hardened a little. "What would have happened if you'd died? Ursula would be left without either of her parents."

Uncle Xavier kept his gaze on his daughter. He, somehow, looked more tired than he had moments before.

"That didn't occur to me until it was too late," he whispered.

"Elizabeth?" Grace asked, "I want to talk with Xavier alone for a bit. Why don't you take Ursula up to the tea room?"

Elizabeth nodded. She could hear how tense Grace's tone was. She didn't want to argue in front of Ursula and probably didn't want to argue when Uncle Xavier was still recovering, but it was clear that Grace had a lot on her mind she wanted to tell him. So Elizabeth gently took her cousin from Uncle Xavier and left the room.

When she reached the tea room, Elizabeth noticed Neville was sitting at one of the tables with his grandmother. Neville glanced up and grinned a bit sheepishly as Elizabeth approached the table.

"Oh, hello there, Elizabeth," Mrs. Longbottom said with a nod, "I read in the paper about your uncle. How is he doing?"

She said it so matter-of-factly, as if commenting on the weather. It made Elizabeth a little uncomfortable. Of course, she'd never liked Neville's grandmother that much.

"He's fine," Elizabeth said as Ursula started squirming in her arms. She'd realized where they were and wanted to go play with the toys off in the corner set up for children visiting.

"Why don't you let the little one play and join us for lunch?" Mrs. Longbottom asked briskly.

"I was just stopping by," Elizabeth said. She wouldn't mind talking with Neville but she always felt uncomfortable around his grandmother, "Visiting the gift shop for something for Uncle Xavier."

Elizabeth let Ursula play in the toy area then headed over to the gift shop. She had already gotten Uncle Xavier a gift. She went to the gift shop simply to avoid Mrs. Longbottom. Elizabeth browsed the shelves, occasionally looking through the glass wall into the tea room to check on Ursula. At one point, she noticed Neville wasn't at the table with his grandmother anymore but didn't think much of it until she heard Neville call her name nearby.

"Is something wrong?" Elizabeth asked, tucking hair behind her ear as Neville approached her.

"No," Neville said, "I, um...I just wanted to see how you were doing. With everything."

Elizabeth grinned a little. Neville was a very sweet guy.

"I'm doing as well as I can," she said, "Uncle Xavier is recovering, but it's still hard."

"What exactly happened?" Neville asked, "The _Prophet_ said he was at St. Mungo's, but nothing about why."

Elizabeth sighed. She didn't really want to talk about these things but she had to remind herself of the promise she and Neville made to each other. They went through so much that was similar and they were supposed to rely on each other.

"He was under the Imperius Curse," Elizabeth said softly, "He attacked Mum, tried to attack me..."

Neville went tense at that. She noticed his hand grip into a fist and she decided it might be better not to mention her uncle had been tortured. It obviously hit too close to home.

"It's probably because of our connections to the Order of the Phoenix," Elizabeth said, "Or because Mum works here at St. Mungo's. Death Eaters tend to go after those who'll oppose them."

"Gran thinks it's only a matter of time before something happens with us," Neville said simply. Elizabeth was the one to tense up this time.

"Uncle Xavier is doing better though," Elizabeth said, picking up a pack of Chocolate Frogs, "He'll probably be allowed to come home before we're back at Hogwarts."

"That's good at least," Neville said, "Take care of yourself, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth grinned softly at Neville. She paid for the Chocolate Frogs then handed them to the boy.

"Happy Christmas, Neville," she said, "I should go get Ursula. See you at Hogwarts?"

Neville gave Elizabeth a surprised look, glancing down at the Chocolate Frogs in his hands. Then, he nodded.

"Of course," he said, "Happy Christmas."

Elizabeth nodded herself, giving Neville a grin as she headed on out of the gift shop. Somehow, she felt better after talking with Neville. She was going to have to make sure she talked with him more often.


	19. To School Again

_**Chapter Nineteen:**_

 _ **To School Again**_

Despite hopes, Uncle Xavier wasn't released from St. Mungo's before Elizabeth had to return to Hogwarts. Still, Elizabeth found herself eager to be back at school. A lot had happened over the holidays and she wanted to talk about it with the others.

The first one she spoke with was Susan. She found her friend in their dormitory, in the middle of unpacking her trunk. Elizabeth pulled off her scarf and hat as she came into the room and grinned at her friend.

"Uncle Xavier's doing better," Elizabeth said, knowing Susan was going to ask, "He hasn't been released from St. Mungo's yet, though."

"I'm sure he will soon," Susan said, coming over to help Elizabeth with her trunk, "Still, what he went through..."

Elizabeth shook her head.

"Mum says we should focus on the positive," she said, "Think about the fact that Uncle Xavier is back. Ursula is doing well with him, and soon he'll be healthy enough to raise her again. He'll be a proper father."

Susan stayed quiet for a moment, rearranging the pictures sitting on her nightstand. Elizabeth noticed she paused at one of her Aunt Amelia.

"Your mother's right," Susan said softly, "He's alive. That's what matters."

Elizabeth nodded slowly. They'd lost so many people recently, it was nice to have one person turn out to be alive. Elizabeth just wished the circumstances had been different.

"I think I'm going to go visit Hagrid," Elizabeth said, grabbing her cloak and starting to pull it on, "Want to come along?"

"Thanks, but I've got a Charms assignment I haven't finished," Susan said with a grin, a way of letting Elizabeth know she was okay. "You go on."

Elizabeth nodded, pulling on her hat and scarf before heading back out of the room. As she went through the common room, she noticed little Sarah Bones by the fireplace, chatting with Rose Zeller—a Muggle-born who had started Hogwarts the year before. It was nice to see Susan's shy little sister making friends.

Once out of the castle, Elizabeth hugged her cloak around her and made her way through the snow towards Hagrid's hut down by the forest. As she got closer, she saw she wasn't the only one who'd come along to a visit. Hermione and Helene were both at the padlock where Buckbeak was being kept.

"Eleezabet!" Helene waved, grinning brightly, "Come to visit Wizerwings?"

"And Hagrid," Elizabeth said, "Is he here?"

Hermione shook her head.

"I think he might be checking on..." Hermione trailed off, glancing at Helene—who was distracted petting Buckbeak—then leaned closer to Elizabeth. "I think he's checking on Aragog."

"Oh," Elizabeth cast a look towards the forest. The way Hagrid had said Aragog's children were getting restless before had Elizabeth worried whenever he went to visit them.

"How's your uncle?" Helene asked, turning from Buckbeak, "I read in ze paper zat he is in St. Mungo's."

"He's getting better," Elizabeth said, "He's still at the hospital for now, but we think he might be able to come home sometime soon."

"What exactly happened?" Hermione asked, a worried look on her face.

"I'd rather not have to tell the story twice," Elizabeth gave a sigh, "I'll tell you when I tell Harry and Ron."

"Are zey back yet?" Helene asked, it clear in her tone she was trying to mask eager curiosity. Elizabeth watched her closely. After Ron started dating Lavender, Helene stopped coming around. Elizabeth doubted Helene was over her crush on Ron, but it was nice to see Helene wanting to be around again.

"We could go see," Hermione said, "They're most likely in the Gryffindor common room."

The three headed back up to the warmth of the castle, stomping snow off their shoes as they came in. Hermione led them up the stairs, saying she'd head into the common room to check for the boys and bring them out if they were there. It turned out, however, that she didn't need to. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were right outside the portrait of the Fat Lady who guarded the Gryffindor common room.

"Harry, Ron, Ginny!" Hermione called, hurrying over towards them with a wave. "We were just down to visit Hagrid and Buck—I mean, Witherwings. Did you have a good Christmas?"

"Yeah," Ron said—Elizabeth noticed his gaze seemed to linger on Helene, who was determinedly not looking at him. "It was pretty eventful—"

"So was mine," Elizabeth said, "Why don't we head somewhere and talk it over?"

The portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Elizabeth saw Lavender Brown coming out with Parvati Patil. The second Lavender saw Ron, she let out a squeal and threw her arms around him. Elizabeth noticed Helene's face grow stony as she turned on her heel and disappeared down a nearby stairway.

"Er, maybe we should move on..." Elizabeth said awkwardly.

"You go on," Ginny said, cheerfully, "I'm going to meet Dean."

Ginny rolled her eyes as she passed Lavender and Ron's rather public reunion, then disappeared into the common room. Elizabeth, Hermione, and Harry made their way back down the corridor in the opposite direction.

"Where'd Helene go?" Harry asked, "Wasn't she with you?"

"She said something about visiting Luna," Elizabeth lied, "Come on, looks like this room is empty."

The three ducked into the empty classroom and grabbed a few of the chairs, sitting facing each other around a couple of desks. Hermione started digging in her bag for a piece of parchment and handed it to Harry.

"I was told to give you this," she said.

"Excellent," Harry looked it over quickly, "A lesson with Dumbledore tomorrow." Harry pushed the parchment in his pocket then looked up, "How's your uncle, Elizabeth?"

"He's doing fine," Elizabeth said.

"Sirius told us about that," Harry said, "He said your uncle had been Imperiused?"

Elizabeth nodded, picking at the end of her scarf.

"He had gone after the Death Eaters after what happened to Aunt Ginger," she said softly, "He had apparently been caught and tortured before...Before they Imperiused him to try and attack us."

"That's horrible!" Hermione's eyes grew wide and Harry's gaze narrowed.

"Yeah, I heard Sirius and Lupin talking about it the other night," he said, "They said he's lucky to be alive."

"He is," Elizabeth gave a sigh, "But how was your Christmas? Better than mine, hopefully."

"Nothing special," Hermione said, "It was rather uneventful, which was nice."

"I told Lupin and Sirius about what we overhead at Slughorn's party," Harry said with a glance to Elizabeth, "Between Snape and Malfoy."

"What're you talking about?" Hermione asked, looking back and forth between the two.

Quickly and quietly, Harry and Elizabeth explained about eavesdropping on Snape and Malfoy and how they'd found out about Malfoy's orders and Snape trying to offer him help. When they finished, Hermione looked thoughtful, chewing on her lower lip for a moment.

"Don't you think—"

"—he was pretending to offer help so that he could trick Malfoy into telling him what he's doing?" Harry cut Hermione off.

"Well, yes."

"Ron's dad and Lupin think so," Harry said, "Sirius believes me, though."

"And so do I, now," Elizabeth added, "Either way, we definitely can't deny that Malfoy is up to _something_."

"No, we can't..." Hermione said slowly.

"And he's acting on Voldemort's orders, just like I said!" Harry said.

"Did either of them actually mention Voldemort's name?"

"I don't think so," Elizabeth said, "But who else would Snape refer to as 'Malfoy's master'?"

"I don't know...Maybe his father?"

"Then why not say 'your father'?" Elizabeth asked.

Hermione didn't have an answer. She sat quietly, staring out the nearby window.

"How's Lupin?" she asked instead.

"Not great," Harry said, "Sirius is watching over his house while he does work for the Order. They have him spying on the werewolves and trying to convert some over to our side. By the way, have you heard of this Fenrir Greyback?"

Elizabeth felt sick and Hermione's eyes went wide.

"He's horrible," Elizabeth said, "He's a terror, practically a feral werewolf and prefers to be that way. He's the type who makes werewolves so mistrusted."

"Malfoy threatened Borgin with him," Hermione said suddenly, "Back in Knockturn Alley, don't you remember? He told Borgin that Greyback was an old family friend and that he'd be checking up on Borgin's progress."

"I forgot!" Harry said, sitting up straighter, "But this _proves_ Malfoy's a Death Eater, how else could he be in contact with Greyback and telling him what to do?"

"It is pretty suspicious..." Hermione said slowly, "Unless..."

"Unless what?" Elizabeth asked, "What could possibly explain this?"

"There's the possibility it was an empty threat," Hermione said slowly.

"Malfoy is good that those," Elizabeth said, "But—"

"You're unbelievable, you are," Harry cut in, "I thought you were on my side now, Elizabeth."

"I am!" Elizabeth defended, "If you'd let me finish, I was trying to say that's a dangerous empty threat to make. Malfoy likes flaunting power he has, though, not pretending he has more than he does."

"Exactly," Harry said, "Anyway, we'll see who's right. You'll be eating your words, Hermione, just like the Ministry. Oh yeah! I had a row with Rufus Scrimgeour as well."

"What?" Elizabeth and Hermione asked together, then Elizabeth continued, "You saw him over the holiday?"

"He came to the Burrow," Harry said, "He wanted me to make a formal statement to the _Daily Prophet_ , tell everyone I thought the Ministry was doing a great job keeping everyone safe."

Elizabeth snorted.

"Some nerve," she said, "After everything they did last year?"

"After who did what?"

Susan had come over, taking a seat next to Elizabeth, "Hello, Harry, Hermione."

"Hello," Harry said, "We were just talking about how the Ministry wanted me to support the work they've been doing."

"Idiots," Susan said, "They're trying to make everyone forget about how they were against you last year and what better way than have you supporting them?"

"I told them I wouldn't do it."

"Good," Susan said with a nod, "That's the way to stand your ground, Harry. Did you have a good Christmas, though?"

The rest of the evening was spent talking about how the holiday break had gone, at least for Harry, Hermione and Susan. Elizabeth sat back and listened, glad to hear theirs had gone much better than her own.


	20. Stories of the Past

_**Chapter Twenty:**_

 _ **Stories of the Past**_

The following morning brought with it exciting news for sixth years. Elizabeth and Susan noticed the crowd gathering around the notice board in the common room as they were coming up for breakfast. Both made their way over and squeezed through to get a look at the board themselves:

 **APPARITION LESSONS**

 _If you are seventeen years of age, or will turn seventeen on or before 31st August next, you are eligible for a twelve-week course of Apparition Lessons from a Ministry of Magic Apparition instructor. Please sign below if you would like to participate. Cost: 12 Galleons._

Elizabeth and Susan both signed up instantly before heading to breakfast.

"I can't wait," Susan said, "It'll be nice, won't it? Just being able to go anywhere in an instant."

"I've been side-along a couple of times," Elizabeth said, "I prefer Floo Powder, but I have to admit, the freedom will be good."

Apparition was the talk of all sixth years for the day, though as evening approached, Elizabeth found herself more curious about what Harry's lesson with Dumbledore was to be about this time. The first break they had the next day, Elizabeth met with Harry, Ron, and Hermione out in a secluded corner of the courtyard. With snow still on the ground, very few people were outside so it made a perfect spot to talk without being overheard.

"What did you learn?" Hermione asked once they were sure they were alone.

"I saw how Voldemort found out about his heritage," Harry said, ignoring Ron's wince, "He went looking into the name Marvolo when he was sixteen and found the hut where his uncle Morfin lived. Marvolo had died years before, apparently. Morfin told Voldemort how Merope stole a locket with Slytherin's crest on it when she ran off to marry Tom Riddle, and how his father abandoned his mother afterwards."

"What did he do when he found out?" Elizabeth asked.

"He killed the Riddles and framed Morfin for it."

"What?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening. Ron rolled his eyes at that.

"You're really surprised?" he asked, I doubt You-Know-Who would invite his Muggle family over for tea."

Elizabeth glared at Ron, then turned back to Harry.

"How did he manage to frame him?" she asked.

"He used Morfin's wand," Harry said, "Modified his memory so he truly believed he'd been the one to kill them. The Gaunt family were known Muggle-haters so the Ministry didn't look too far into things."

"Why would they?" Elizabeth asked, "They had a Muggle-hater, a full confession, and the wand that killed the Muggles. I don't think even we would have thought anything was fishy there."

"Did you see any other memories?" Hermione asked.

"Voldemort in school," Harry said, "Sometime after the murders—he was wearing this ring he'd stolen from Morfin. He'd been a member of Slughorn's club when he was a student here."

"You know, suddenly I'm not too big on being in that club," Ron said. Hermione glared at him.

"Voldemort was asking Slughorn about some sort of Dark magic—something called Horcruxes. The memory went black and fuzzy and we heard Slughorn yelling at Voldemort to never ask about it again. Dumbledore says Slughorn must be afraid of Dumbledore knowing what really happened, so he edited his own memory."

Elizabeth hugged her robes tighter against her as silence fell over the group. It was clear Ron and Hermione, like Elizabeth, were trying to take in what they'd just heard.

"He...He doesn't want Dumbledore to know?" Elizabeth asked, "Whatever he told Voldemort, he must be deeply ashamed of it."

"Dumbledore wants me to get the real memory," Harry said.

"That should be easy," Ron said simply, "Slughorn loves you. Won't refuse you anything, will he? Not his little Potions Prince. Just hang back after class this afternoon and ask him."

"If it was easy, Dumbledore would have gotten the memory already," Hermione said sharply, "It's going to take more than just asking him...But what Voldemort asked about? These Horcruxes...I've never even heard of them."

"You haven't?" Harry asked, disappointment clear in his voice.

"It must be something really Dark," Elizabeth said, "I mean, Dumbledore's asking you to get this information from Slughorn for a reason. Maybe even Dumbledore doesn't know what these Horcruxes are."

"I think he has some idea," Harry said, "It seems he wants me to get the memory to confirm something he's already thinking."

"I'll take a look through the library's Restricted Section when I have a chance," Hermione said thoughtfully, "I'm sure I'll be able to get permission from Professor McGonagall or Professor Flitwick...I mean, Voldemort had to find out about it somewhere. Maybe he found something in the library."

As the bell rang, Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed off for Potions. Elizabeth, without a class to go to, started towards the library to work on homework. Though she wasn't sure how much she'd be getting done after this update on Voldemort's past. What could the Horcruxes be? What made them so dangerous that Professor Slughorn was determined to hide what he'd told Voldemort from Dumbledore?

Elizabeth hadn't been paying attention to where she was going, wandering aimlessly through the castle as she was lost in thought. After nearly fifteen minutes, it finally dawned on her that she hadn't reached the library at all. She stopped to look around and realized she was still on the ground floor, now standing at the edge of a corridor that led out to the greenhouses Professor Sprout allowed students to use when not in class. More often than not, it was Hufflepuffs out in these greenhouses, though sometimes a few Ravenclaws were around as well.

Deciding to take this as a sign, Elizabeth went into the greenhouse. She was unsurprised to see a half-dozen Hufflepuffs and a couple of N.E.W.T. student Ravenclaws. And, towards the corner was a familiar Gryffindor who was surprisingly in the company of two young Hufflepuffs—Rose Zeller and Sarah Bones. As Elizabeth moved closer, she could see Neville looked a bit uncomfortable. She was about to come over and save him from the girls until she heard what they were talking about.

"I've never been able to handle leaping toadstools without breaking them," Rose was saying with a frown, "I always grip them too hard and break them."

"It's hard to relax when they're known to jump around," Neville said kindly, pulling a bucket of the mushrooms towards them. As he had said, some were bouncing in the bucket. Elizabeth stayed where she was, a soft grin forming as she watched Neville work with the younger students.

"How do you do it?" Sarah asked timidly. She and Rose were both watching Neville as intently as if he were Professor Sprout. Maybe that was what made Neville seem so nervous. He wasn't used to people looking to him for advice.

"It'll be a bit easier to show you," Neville said nervously, reaching into the bucket in front of them.

Elizabeth couldn't help but just watch. Despite being nervous, Neville seemed to have a certain air around him that had little Rose and Sarah watching him with the curiosity and intensity of students in a favorite class. This was where Neville was in his element. He knew Herbology better than any student at Hogwarts and it showed. It was a wonderful thing to see him like this. Nervous, but confident in his skill and realizing others looked up to him.

There was something about watching Neville be in his element, work in the one thing he let himself believe he was good in. He smiled more—and Elizabeth found herself realizing that Neville had a nice smile. Small, subtle, but at the same time lit up his face.

Neville seemed to notice Elizabeth and his face grew red. It slowly dawned on Elizabeth how much she'd been staring and her face flushed as well. She quickly looked away, tucking back some of her hair as she became more aware that Rose and Sarah were watching her, too.

"S-sorry," Elizabeth said weakly, "I was just...er...I didn't want to interrupt."

"Neville is really good," Rose said, "He was showing me how to handle leaping toadstools."

"It was nothing," Neville muttered, hi gaze locked on the glass ceiling.

Rose thanked Neville again and she and Sarah hurried off to the other side of the greenhouse with their bucket of mushrooms. Elizabeth watched them go, her face still feeling very warm.

"You were good with them," Elizabeth said, trying to find a way to push through the awkwardness, "It was nice of you to help."

"They asked," Neville said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Er...Were you needing something?"

"What?" Elizabeth asked, then realized Neville thought she'd been waiting on him to be free for something. "Oh. No. I was just coming down here since I have a free period."

"Oh," Neville looked down to the potted screechsnap he'd been tending. It was squeaking in irritation at being ignored for so long.

"Surprising how demanding a plant can be," Elizabeth said, watching Neville work with the plant, "Some can be worse than a toddler, and I know that from experience."

Neville laughed, a sound that made Elizabeth grin.

"At least they aren't mandrakes," he said, "I'd rather not have to wear earmuffs to work."

"I don't know," Elizabeth moved closer to Neville, reaching over to pick up a pair of gardening sheers to help the boy with his plant, "They could be useful. Tune everything out so you can concentrate."

"Until the Venomous Tentacula grabs you because you don't hear it sneaking up."

Elizabeth giggled, glad that she and Neville had broken through the awkward moment when Elizabeth first arrived. The two of them worked together to prune the screechsnap, chatting mostly about Herbology, but they switched to the topic of books or Quidditch or anything that came to their minds. They became so wrapped in their conversation that it was only the sound of a bell overhead that reminded them of where they were. Elizabeth also began to realize that she was becoming hungry.

"We should get to lunch," Neville said slowly, "I didn't realize how late it was getting."

"Me neither," Elizabeth said, "I'll walk with you, if you don't mind."

Neville nodded, grinning brightly in a way that Elizabeth couldn't help but grin back. The two started out of the greenhouses—stopping long enough to wash up after an hour messing around in dirt—and then made their way to the Great Hall, still chatting as they went.

"I'll see you in Charms later," Elizabeth said as they reached the Great Hall, turning to Neville.

"Yeah," Neville nodded, seeming reluctant to leave. Elizabeth wondered if he was about to say something else but before she could ask, Neville turned and headed off to the Gryffindor table. Elizabeth watched him leave, wondering what he was thinking, then turned and went to the Hufflepuff table for lunch.

She quickly found Susan halfway along the table, sitting with Ernie and comparing Charms notes. Though Elizabeth noticed Susan watching her approach and as Elizabeth sat down, she saw her friend was smirking.

"What?" she asked.

"Was wondering why you didn't come to the library," Susan said, "Then I saw you coming in with Neville."

Elizabeth frowned. She had mentioned to Susan that she planned to do homework this morning but she had never set it in stone.

"Sorry," Elizabeth said, "I was just wandering around and ended up in the greenhouses. Neville and I were talking for a while."

"Looks like it was a good talk," Susan said, still smirking.

"I always like talking to Neville," Elizabeth said, "Something wrong with that?"

"Nope, it's just nice to see."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at her friend, then turned to Ernie for explanation.

"Don't look at me," Ernie said, "I have no idea what she's on about."

Elizabeth shook her head, reaching for a spoon to dish herself some pot pie. Whatever it was that had Susan so amused, she figured it wasn't anything important.


	21. Apparition and Poison

_**Chapter Twenty-One:**_

 _ **Apparition and Poison**_

When Elizabeth met up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione that afternoon, Elizabeth noticed all three of them seemed to be in bad moods. It didn't take her long to find out why, since Ron and Harry seemed to be in some sort of argument.

"It would have looked stupid if we'd both done it!" Harry was saying as Elizabeth took a seat at the table, "Look, I had to try and soften him up so I could has about Voldemort, didn't I? Oh, will you _get a grip_!"

Ron, who had winced at Voldemort's name, glared at Harry. Hermione huffed in annoyance, refusing to look up from the book she was hiding behind.

"Er...I take it Potions didn't go well," Elizabeth said slowly, "Ernie said you were working on antidotes."

"Yes, and Harry decided instead of doing the assignment, he'd be cheeky and get a bezoar," Hermione said sharply.

Harry glared at her, then turned back to Elizabeth.

"I tried to ask about Voldemort and the Horcruxes, but he chased me out," he said.

"Well, we all knew you couldn't just _ask_ ," Elizabeth pointed out, then when Harry turned his glare to her, "Don't look at me like that! You know it's true. Professor Slughorn wouldn't just tell you, a student, if he's trying to hide this from _Dumbledore_."

Despite the truth of it, Harry still sulked over his failed attempt for the next few days. Elizabeth took to avoiding him, not wanting to deal with his sour mood. She spent most of her time down in the greenhouses with Neville. It was always relaxing to be around him, forgetting about everything else and working with plants for a while. Each passing week, Elizabeth found herself looking forward to these moments with Neville more and more. Something Susan found endlessly amusing.

"I don't get what the big deal is," Elizabeth said the morning of their first Apparition lesson, "What's so funny about me spending time with my friends?"

"Nothing at all," Susan said cheerfully, "But when you're grinning like an idiot every time you're off to see him?"

"I do not do that," Elizabeth said sharply. She was finally realizing where Susan was going with this and she could already feel heat rising to her cheeks. She did not fancy Neville. Simple as that. She'd made the mistake of that once before with Harry and she was incredibly lucky that friendship managed to come through without any lasting awkwardness. She was not going through that again.

"Whatever you say," Susan said in a tone that Elizabeth knew too well. That tone Susan used when she was just humoring someone. Elizabeth hated when it was turned on her.

The two entered the Great Hall to find the tables were gone, leaving the room open and bare. It reminded Elizabeth of the Halloween night in her third year when everything had been removed for students to sleep. This time, however, the room was empty for a much more cheerful reason. Something that seemed to contradict the mood the weather gave overhead, rain falling but disappearing before even getting past the windows. Elizabeth looked around and noticed Harry and Hermione and gave them a wave. Ron was towards the back with Lavender latched to his arm as if she'd been hit with a Sticking Charm. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice that Ron didn't look too pleased with this.

The four Heads-of-Houses were waiting for everyone where the staff table usually stood. With them a short man who looked as thin and breakable as a twig. Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder if he was even strong enough to be Apparating, let alone teach it.

"Good morning," the man greeted, waving for silence as the last of the sixth years entered the room. "My name is Wilkie Twycross and I shall be your Ministry Apparition instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your Apparition Tests in this time—"

"Malfoy, be quiet and pay attention!"

Everyone turned at McGonagall's stern call. Malfoy had apparently been arguing with Crabbe towards the back of the Hall. A few students chuckled as Malfoy's face grew pink and he backed away from his friend.

"—by which time," Twycross kept on with his speech as if nothing had happened, "Many of you may be ready to take your tests.

"As you know, it is usually impossible to Apparate or Disapparate within Hogwarts. The headmaster has lifted this enchantment, purely within the Great Hall, for one hour, so as to enable you to practice."

"I was wondering how we'd be able to do this," Ernie whispered from where he had come up next to Susan.

"May I emphasize that you will not be able to Apparate outside the walls of this Hall, and that you would be unwise to try," Twycross went on, speaking as if he'd practiced this speech, "I would like each of you to place yourselves now so that you have a clear five feet of space in front of you."

The crowd of sixth years broke into chatter as everyone began pushing for what they considered good spots. Mainly the Ravenclaws arguing over who would be in the front line, which Elizabeth thought was rather stupid.

As Professor Sprout came over to start corralling the Hufflepuffs, Elizabeth saw Harry push pass Ernie. Elizabeth, confused, watched as Harry went to the back of the Hall, positioning himself near Malfoy and Crabbe. Elizabeth frowned. Even though she agreed Malfoy was up to something and could very well be a Death Eater, she didn't think he'd discuss his plans where he could be overheard so easily.

"Miss Martin, take your place please," Professor Sprout called and Elizabeth turned to see her waving to the space between Ernie and Susan. Elizabeth hurried over, deciding she'd ask Harry what he was doing later on.

A moment later, the four Heads of Houses called for silence and the hall quieted, everyone turning their attention back to the front of the Great Hall where Twycross was waiting.

"Now then," he called, letting his voice carry through the hall since the students were far more spread out now, "The important things to remember when Apparating are the three D's! Destination, Determination, Deliberation!

"Step one: Fix your mind firmly upon the desired _destination_. In this case, the interior of your hoop. Kindly concentrate on that destination now."

Elizabeth stared at the hoop that had appeared five feet in front of her. She glanced towards Susan next to her, who grinned at her before turning her focus in front of her. She'd been side-along Apparating since she was young that the sensation was almost second-nature. Would that help her be able to Apparate on her own easier? Still, Elizabeth felt a bit foolish standing where she was, staring intently at a hoop a few feet away.

"Step two, focus on your _determination_ to occupy the visualized space!" Twycross called, "Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body!"

Susan gave a bit of a giggle and Elizabeth couldn't blame her. She was feeling more ridiculous as this went on. Glancing to Ernie, however, his face was flushed in concentration and he was screwing up his face in a way as if he were trying to hold in a burp.

"Step three," Twycross went on, "and only when I give the command...Turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, and moving with _deliberation_! On my command, now one...two...THREE!"

Elizabeth had just started to turn when she stopped, noticing Ernie beside her was taking some sort of spinning leap to the hoop. She started giggling, as did Susan behind her. Ernie glared at both of them.

He hadn't been the only one who had tried the trick, however. A couple of other students had leapt to their hoops while a few others were sprawled on their back where they had lost balance and fell.

"Never mind, never mind!" Twycross called out, waving for silence as students helped each other to their feet, "Adjust your hoops, please, and back to your original positions..."

The second and third time were no better—just without people jumping to their hoops—and by the fourth attempt, Elizabeth was feeling dizzy. That was quickly forgotten, however, when she heard a shriek next to her. Turning quickly, Elizabeth grew cold as she noticed Susan had made it to her hoop, but without one of her legs. Elizabeth rushed over, grabbing her friend to help her keep balance as she trembled and sobbed. A moment later, Professor Sprout was at their side and, with a quick spell, reattached Susan's leg.

"Maybe it's best for you to sit out the rest of this lesson, Miss Bones," Professor Sprout said softly as Elizabeth hugged her sobbing friend, "Miss Martin, you should return to your spot."

"Can I please stay with Susan?" Elizabeth asked, "I won't be able to concentrate anyway."

Professor Sprout gave them a soft grin. Elizabeth was faintly aware of Twycross talking at the end of the Hall, but she didn't pay attention. She was more concerned about her friend.

"Of course," Professor Sprout said, "Take her up to the hospital wing for Madam Pomfrey to give her a look-over, then go to the common room."

Elizabeth nodded, leading Susan out of the room. By the time they reached the Marble Staircase, Susan had settled down enough to speak, though tears still ran down her face, making her makeup run.

"W-well," Susan managed with a strained smile, "I g-guess I get bragging rights. I w-was the first to Ap-Apparate. Even beat Hermione."

Elizabeth gave a weak laugh. She'd always admired Susan's ability to make light of nearly any situation. Her way of cheering people up.

"Yeah, but I don't think it counts when you Splinch yourself."

Susan laughed as well. By the time they reached the Hospital Wing, Susan was in a much better mood. Madam Pomfrey still fussed over her, but soon cleared Susan and sent her on with just a small calming potion for the nerves. The two made it back to the common room just as the rest of the sixth years had arrived, the Apparition lesson finished for the week. Ernie, Justin, and Megan all looked up as Susan and Elizabeth came over, taking seats in the plush armchairs.

"How are you doing, Susan?" Justin asked.

"I'm fine," Susan said, "Madam Pomfrey says I'll have a bit of a scar, but otherwise I'll be all right. At least I have a leg up for next week."

Justin snorted as Ernie rolled his eyes.

"That was bad, Susan," Megan commented, even as she was giggling.

"Just don't have a repeat performance," Ernie said, which Susan agreed to readily.

xxxxx

The entire month of February passed with little to note except for the fact that Harry seemed to be becoming increasingly obsessed with what Malfoy was doing. She noticed Harry constantly checking the Marauder's Map, even ducking into the bathroom between classes—despite the fact Malfoy shared a lot of their classes anyway. Elizabeth grew tired of arguing with Harry over it and soon left the topic alone.

Elizabeth awoke on the first of March with a sickening feeling building in her stomach that she was growing to hate. It was Ron's birthday, a day they should have been spending in Hogsmeade but the trip had been canceled. Instead, Elizabeth was heading to breakfast with Susan and a sinking feeling in her stomach, one that grew when she saw Hermione hurrying down the marble staircase towards her, eyes wide with worry.

"Hermione? What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.

"Ron's in the hospital wing," Hermione said quickly, "I can't really explain all of it, Harry has the whole story. He's there with him now."

"What?" Elizabeth asked, her sickening feeling worsening for a different reason now.

"Go on," Susan said, "I'll meet you later."

Elizabeth nodded, hurrying after Hermione up the marble staircase. When they reached the Hospital Wing, Elizabeth noticed Ginny and Helene were there, Ginny looking a mix of furious and worried. Helene's face was pale and she was rocking nervously on her feet.

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked quickly.

"Harry let Ron eat Cauldron Cakes spiked with love potion," Ginny said sharply.

"I didn't _let_ him!" Harry shot back, then sighed and looked to Elizabeth, "He got into the Cauldron Cakes I thought I threw away, ones that a fifth year had given me and were spiked with love potion because she was trying to get me to invite her to Slughorn's Christmas party—"

"So he's in the Hospital Wing to, what, wait for the potion to wear off?" Elizabeth asked, "Or food poisoning from expired Cauldron Cakes?"

"No, he's in the Hospital Wing because he was poisoned," Helene said weakly.

"What?" Elizabeth felt weak in the knees at that and she turned quickly to Harry for an explanation.

"I went to Professor Slughorn," Harry said, "To get an antidote for Ron, for the love potion. After that, Slughorn offered us all a glass of mead to give Ron a pick-me-up. And...Well, it seems the mead was poisoned..."

Elizabeth leaned against the wall, taking a shaky breath. Twice now, a month had opened with one of her friends badly injured. Susan accidentally Splinched herself during their first Apparition lesson. Now, Ron was in the Hospital Wing after accidentally being poisoned.

"Professor Slughorn seemed shocked by what happened," Harry said, "I found a bezoar in his potion kit and was able to give it to Ron. That bought enough time to get him here..."

Helene gave a shaky sob at that, sinking to the floor. Ginny sat next to her, putting an arm around her friend and Elizabeth's heart went out to the young girl.

It was a tense, quiet day where Elizabeth's mind kept cycling through ways this could have happened. She wanted to voice her thoughts but any time she thought to, she would see Helene curled up against the wall across from her, Ginny's arm around her, and would keep things to herself. Things were already bad enough; she didn't need to add to it.

' _Just hope Ron will pull through,'_ Elizabeth thought, glancing to the Hospital Wing doors. This was not how they had planned to spend his birthday.


	22. Theories

_**Chapter Twenty-Two:**_

 _ **Theories**_

The day had gone slowly and quietly. Madam Pomfrey refused to let them in the hospital wing to visit Ron, so Elizabeth spent the day in the hallway with Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Helene. Though Susan joined them after lunch, bringing sandwiches for everyone, things still remained quiet.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arrived shortly after dinner and were the only ones allowed in to visit Ron. They stayed in there nearly an hour until Professor McGonagall arrived, taking them to Dumbledore's office. That was when Madam Pomfrey finally allowed the others to visit on the condition that no more than six at a time could be in there.

Ron was pale and very still in his bed. As the others pulled around chairs to sit down, Elizabeth noticed Helene give a small squeak and stare with her hands over her mouth. Ginny immediately went over to her, putting an arm around her friend. Helene merely muttered something, then hurried out of the room. Ginny looked torn, looking between Ron and the hospital wing door. It was clear she was trying to figure out who she needed to be with more.

"I'll talk to her," Elizabeth said softly, "Stay with Ron."

Ginny nodded weakly and Elizabeth left the room, Susan following behind.

"I'm not much help in there," Susan explained when Elizabeth glanced to her, "And Helene looks like she needs a few shoulders."

Elizabeth nodded and the two headed off down the hallway. They soon found Helene sitting in an alcove, arms around her knees and face buried against them, crying softly.

"Helene?" Elizabeth knelt down next to the girl, who tensed and glanced up just slightly, her dark brown eyes glistening with tears in the dim light.

"Ron's going to be fine," Elizabeth said softly, "Madam Pomfrey is the best. She'll make sure he pulls through."

Helene nodded, glancing away from the others. She was still trembling, sniffling slightly.

"I know it has to be hard," Susan spoke up now, sitting next to Elizabeth, "Seeing him like that and all. But I bet you that it'll mean everything to him that you care so much."

Helene gave a weak snort and Elizabeth had the feeling she was thinking about Ron's relationship with Lavender.

"Ron's still your friend, Helene," Elizabeth said.

"I kn-know," Helene finally said, then gave a sigh, "I zink I'll g-go back to my c-common room...Mr. and Mrs. Weasley will be b-back and Madame P-Pomfrey will complain ab-about too many visitors..."

Elizabeth and Susan glanced at each other. She was sure Helene would like to stay with Ron but at the same time knew the girl needed time to herself.

"I'll walk you to the tower," Susan said as she and Elizabeth helped Helene to her feet, then looked to Elizabeth, "You should get back to the hospital wing."

"Yeah," Elizabeth sighed, looking to Helene again, "I'll let Ron know you stopped by when he wakes up."

"Zanks," Helene said softly, letting Susan lead her away. Elizabeth watched them go before she turned and made her way back to the hospital wing.

While Elizabeth and Susan had been talking to Helene, Fred and George had arrived.

"There we were in Hogsmeade, waiting to surprise him..." George was saying and Ginny—who had raised an eyebrow at Elizabeth as she came in—turned to her brother quickly.

"You were in Hogsmeade?" she asked.

"We were thinking of buying Zonko's," Fred said, "A Hogsmeade branch, you know, but fat lot of good it'll do us if you lot aren't allowed out at weekends to buy our stuff anymore...But never mind that now."

Fred and George both took seats next to Ron's bed leaning back in their chairs. Elizabeth sat down between Ginny and Hermione, leaning forward as she looked to Ron, still sleeping.

"How exactly did it happen, Harry?" Fred asked, glancing towards him for just a moment before turning his attention back to Ron.

Slowly, Harry retold the story he had told the others that morning, about how Ron had eaten Cauldron Cakes spiked with love potion. How he had taken Ron to Slughorn for help, how the mead Slughorn had given them must have been poisoned. How Slughorn seemed to freeze in the moment and Harry had run for the potions cabinet nearby...

"..and then I got the bezoar down his throat and his breathing eased up a bit," Harry finished, "Slughorn ran for help, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey turned up, and they brought Ron up here. They reckon he'll be all right. Madam Pomfrey says he'll have to stay here a week or so...keep taking essence of rue..."

"Blimey, it was lucky you thought of a bezoar," George said quietly.

"Lucky there was one in the room," Harry replied.

Elizabeth felt sick at the thought, looking to Ron. If Slughorn hadn't have had that little stone in his potion supplies, Ron wouldn't be here now.

"Do Mum and Dad know?" Fred asked, turning to Ginny.

"They've already seen him, they arrived an hour ago," Ginny replied, "They're in Dumbledore's office now, but they'll be back soon..."

They fell quiet for a moment as Ron shifted a little in his sleep. Elizabeth thought about Helene and how hard it had been for her to stay, how she just couldn't take seeing Ron in such a state...

' _Well, what would you have done if it was Neville?'_ a small voice inside her asked and Elizabeth tried to ignore it. She did _not_ fancy Neville, no matter what Susan thought. She merely thought of Neville because he was one of her close friends, just as Ron was. It would be just as painful to see him as it was for Ron now.

"So the poison was in the drink?" Fred asked and Elizabeth was glad for a distraction.

"Yes," Harry said quickly, "Slughorn poured it out—"

"Would he have been able to slip something into Ron's glass without you seeing?"

"Probably," Harry replied, "But why would Slughorn want to poison Ron?"

"No idea...You don't think he could have mixed up the glasses by mistake? Meaning to get you?"

"I doubt that's it," Elizabeth said, "Slughorn adores Harry."

"He could be under the Imperius Curse," George said.

"Or he could be innocent," Ginny said, "The poison could have been in the bottle, in which case it was probably meant for Slughorn himself."

"Who'd want to kill Slughorn?"

"Dumbledore reckons Voldemort wanted Slughorn on his side," Harry said, running a hand through his hair, "Slughorn was in hiding for a year before he came to Hogwarts. And...And maybe Voldemort wants him out of the way, maybe he thinks he could be valuable to Dumbledore."

"But you said Slughorn had been planning to give that bottle to Dumbledore for Christmas," Ginny said, "So the poisoner could just as easily been after Dumbledore."

"Then the poisoner didn't know Slughorn very well," Hermione said simply, looking to the others, "Anyone who knew Slughorn would have known there was a good chance he'd keep something that tasty for himself."

Everyone jumped as the doors opened and they turned to see Hagrid hurrying in, leaving a trail of muddy footprints in his wake.

"Bin in the forest all day," he said, seeming out of breath. Elizabeth wondered if he'd run all the way to the hospital wing. "Aragog's worse, I bin readin' to him—didn' get up ter dinner till jus' now an' then Professor Sprout told me abou' Ron! How is he?"

"Not bad," Harry said, "They say he'll be okay."

"I don' believe this," Hagrid shook his head, his large hands wringing the end of his coat, his crossbow hanging on his belt, "Jus' don' believe it...Look at him lyin' there...Who'd want ter hurt him, eh?"

"That's just what we were discussing," Harry said, "We don't know."

"Someone couldn' have a grudge against the Gryffindor Quidditch team, could they?" Hagrid asked, "Firs' Katie, now Ron..."

"This is a bit severe for school rivalry," Elizabeth said, "I can't even see Slytherins doing this. Maybe causing an accident, but not something that could be fatal."

"I agree, I don't think it's Quidditch," Hermione said, "But I think there's a connection between the attacks."

"How d'you figure that out?" Fred asked, sitting up a bit straighter.

"Well, for one thing, they both ought to have been fatal and weren't, although that was pure luck," Hermione said, counting off on her fingers as she went, "And for another, neither the poison nor the necklace reached the person who was supposed to be killed. Of course, that makes the person behind this even more dangerous in a way, because they don't seem to care how many people they finish off before they actually reach their victim."

That was something Elizabeth didn't want to think about. To know someone was so cruel, so heartless...

The doors to the hospital wing banged open again and, once again, Elizabeth jumped. She turned to see it was Mr. and Mrs. Weasley this time, both pale. Mrs. Weasley went straight to Harry, throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug.

"Dumbledore's told us how you saved him with the bezoar," she said weakly and Elizabeth could tell she was crying, "Oh, Harry, what can we say? You saved Ginny...You saved Arthur...Now you've saved Ron..."

"Half our family does seem to owe you their lives, now I stop to think about it," Mr. Weasley said, "Well, all I can say is that it was a lucky day for the Weasleys when Ron decided to sit in your compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Harry."

"Only six visitors at a time!" Madam Pomfrey called sharply, hurrying over to the group.

Elizabeth, Harry, and Hermione all left with Hagrid to give Ron's family time with him.

"It's terrible," Hagrid grumbled as they headed towards the marble staircase, "All this new security, an' kids are still getting' hurt...Dumbledore's worried sick...He don' say much, but I can tell..."

"Surely he has some idea what's going on," Elizabeth said. This was Dumbledore after all. He always seemed to have an idea to everything.

"I 'spect he's got hundreds of ideas, brain like his," Hagrid said, "But he doesn' know who sent that necklace nor put poison in that wine, or they'd've bin caught, wouldn' they?" Hagrid paused, looking around and leaned closer to Harry, Hermione, and Elizabeth, lowering his voice. "Wha' worries me is how long Hogwarts can stay open if kids are bein' attacked. Chamber o' Secrets all over again, isn' it? There'll be panic, more parents takin' their kids outta school, an' nex' thing yeh know the board o' governors'll be talkin' about shuttin' us up fer good."

"What?" Elizabeth asked as Hermione went "Surely not?"

Hagrid paused as one of Hogwarts many ghosts floated by—a woman with long, dark hair.

"Gotta see it from their point o' view," Hagrid said once the ghost was out of sight, "I mean, it's always bin a bit of a risk sendin' a kid ter Hogwarts, hasn' it? Yer expect accidents, don' yeh, with hundreds of underage wizards all locked up tergether, but attempted murder, tha's different. 'S'no wonder Dumbledore's angry with Sn—"

Hagrid cut himself off, frowning as he straightened up. Elizabeth straightened herself, remembering what she had overheard between Snape and Malfoy during Slughorn's Christmas party.

"Dumbledore's angry with Snape?" Harry asked eagerly, moving closer to Hagrid.

"I never said tha'," Hagrid said quickly, the look on his face saying far more than he was, "Look at the time, it's getting' on fer midnight, I need ter—"

"Hagrid, why is Dumbledore angry with Snape?" Harry's voice rose and Hagrid looked around nervously, his eyes wide.

"Don' shout stuff like that, Harry, d'yeh wan' me ter lose me job? Mind, I don' suppose yeh'd care, would yeh, not now yeh've given up Care of Mag—"

"Don't try to make me feel guilty, it won't work!" Harry cut in, "What's Snape done?"

"I dunno, Harry," Hagrid said nervously, still glancing around. When it was clear Harry would not let this go, however, he sighed. Elizabeth fidgeted a little. She was eager to learn what was going on, but the way Harry was cornering Hagrid about this was uncomfortable.

"I shouldn'ta heard it at all!" Hagrid went on, "I—well, I was comin' outta the forest the other evenin' an' I overheard 'em talking—well, arguin'. Didn't like ter draw attention to meself, so I sorta skulked an' tried not ter listen, but it was a—well, a heated discussion an' it wasn' easy ter block it out."

"Well?" Harry asked, stepping forward again. Elizabeth, on instinct, grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him back. Harry glared at her.

"Well—I jus' heard Snape sayin' Dumbledore took too much fer granted an' maybe he—Snape—didn' wan' ter do it anymore—"

"Do what?"

"I dunno, Harry, it sounded like Snape was feelin' a bit overworked, that's all—anyway, Dumbledore told him flat out he'd agreed ter do it an' that was all there was to it. Pretty firm with him. An' then he said summat abou' Snape makin' investigations in his House, in Slytherin."

Elizabeth straightened, glancing to Harry and Hermione. Both shared looks that said they were thinking along the same lines as her. Something was up if Dumbledore wanted Snape to investigate the Slytherins.

"Well, there's nothin' strange abou' that!" Hagrid said quickly, "All the Heads o' Houses were asked ter look inter that necklace business—"

"Yeah, but Dumbledore's not having rows with the rest of them, is he?" Harry countered.

"Look," Hagrid said, fidgeting more and accidentally breaking the crossbow he'd been carrying, "I know what yeh're like abou' Snape, Harry, an' I don' want yeh ter go readin' more inter this than there is."

"Look out!" Hermione hissed suddenly, pointing towards the end of the corridor.

They all turned to see the shadow of someone coming closer. A moment later, Filch the caretaker came into view. He took one look at the group gathered together and started grinning.

"Oho! Out of bed so late, this'll mean detention!"

"No it won', Filch," Hagrid said, "They're with me, aren' they?"

"And what difference does that make?" Filch demanded.

"I'm a ruddy teacher, aren' I, yeh sneakin' Squib!"

Filch's face went red as he bristled, gripping the broom he was carrying. Hagrid whispered for the others to go and they didn't need a second telling. At once, Elizabeth, Harry, and Hermione took off in different directions—Harry and Hermione towards the Gryffindor common room and Elizabeth towards the Hufflepuff one in the basement. None of them wanted to chance dealing with a very furious Filch.

Though as Elizabeth ran, she couldn't help but wonder. Just what exactly was it Dumbledore and Snape had been arguing about? She doubted she'd get answers anytime soon...

 **xxxxx**

Ron recovered quickly over the next week. That, in addition to the fact that he was still at Hogwarts and a Quidditch match was fast approaching meant that Ron hadn't attracted nearly as much attention and gossip as Katie had.

Harry, however, was hearing about both often. The night before the match—which was Hufflepuff against Gryffindor—he slumped into a chair at the library table that Elizabeth and Susan were at, working on a Muggle Studies assignment. Between Lavender Brown's nagging about Ron and Cormac McLaggen going on about Quidditch, Harry was becoming very short and irritable lately.

"I'll be so glad when the match is over tomorrow," Harry grumbled, "And I can kick McLaggen off the team."

"Gee, Harry," Susan said in a mocking surprise, "This is awfully trusting of you, talking about your Quidditch team to the enemy House. It's a good thing we're too nice to go straight to our team and tell them about your problems."

Harry glared at her, though Elizabeth saw there was a small smirk tugging at the edge of his lips.

"You'll need all the help you can get," he said, "We're handicapped with McLaggen. Maybe now your team will stand a chance."

Elizabeth couldn't help but grin as she watched her friends. Susan always had a way with knowing just how to get others to cheer up. Susan leaned forward on the table, watching Harry closely.

"Oh, you're in for it tomorrow, just you wait," she said.

"You'd think you were on the Hufflepuff team," Harry said, "The way you're going on."

"Can't enjoy watching a match if I'm in the middle of it."

Elizabeth was quite sure neither would miss her presence, so she got up and walked towards a nearby shelf to find something to help with her essay. The Hogwarts library had a very small selection of Muggle literature and their current assignment was about Muggle fairy tales. Elizabeth much preferred the stories she grew up with, but there was an odd charm to the simplicity of the Muggle tales.

Elizabeth had just turned a corner and almost walked right into Neville, who was pulling a book off of the shelves.

"Oh, hi Neville," Elizabeth said, feeling a bit of heat creep into her cheeks. Ever since she realized the reason behind Susan's teasing, it seemed her encounters with Neville had an underlying awkwardness to them—though she was determined not to avoid Neville. She really enjoyed his company. As a friend.

"Hey," Neville said, "Doing homework?"

"Yeah, Muggle Studies," Elizabeth replied, "I got up to find a book, and get away from Susan and Harry talking about the Quidditch match tomorrow."

Neville grinned, fiddling with the book in his hands.

"What're you studying?" Neville asked and Elizabeth was glad the subject wasn't Quidditch. She heard enough of it from Harry's complaining.

"Muggle stories," she said "You know, what they have instead of _our Tales of Beedle the Bard_."

"Those must be interesting," Neville said, "How different are their stories?"

"Very. Most of them seem to be about girls in trouble who get rescued by a prince and then they get married and she becomes a princess. Though there are some that are really interesting, like this one about a little girl whose grandmother gets eaten by a wolf and then the wolf tries to disguise himself as the grandmother. There has to be some sort of magic involved, right? Or the guy was a werewolf..."

"You're enjoying the class, aren't you?" Neville asked. Elizabeth grinned brightly at him.

"A lot," she said, then realizing something, "You ask about Muggle Studies all the time. If you're so interested, why didn't you ever sign up?"

Neville flushed a little, looking away as he busied himself with putting away a book. The same one he had just taken off the shelves moments before.

"I...wasn't interested back then," he muttered. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him, not sure if that was the whole truth.

"Well, I'll let you know what I'm learning whenever you want," Elizabeth said anyway, "That's what friends are for."

Neville grinned at Elizabeth. He opened his mouth to say something, but Elizabeth heard Susan call her and she turned to see Susan at the end of the shelves.

"There you are. Harry went back to his common room and I was wond—oh," Susan cut herself off when she saw Neville and a smirk formed on her face, "Never mind. Carry on."

Susan winked at them before she turned and disappeared around the corner and Elizabeth felt her face burning. She looked at Neville, who seemed just as embarrassed as she did.

"Well, I should get back to my homework," she said, "And probably murder my friend."

Neville gave Elizabeth a weak grin at that.

"Just don't do it in the library," he said, "Or else Madam Pince will murder _you_."

Elizabeth couldn't help but give a small laugh. With a parting smile, she turned away from Neville and headed off towards the table where her homework waited. And where she would be giving her friend a stern lecture about just how much she definitely did _not_ fancy Neville Longbottom.


	23. Revelations

_**Chapter Twenty-Three:**_

 _ **Revelations**_

"Great weather for a match," Susan said cheerfully as she and Elizabeth made their way down to the pitch.

"Yeah, it's really nice today," Elizabeth replied a bit absentmindedly. She'd been distracted all day, a small feeling of dread in her stomach. Something she told Susan about over breakfast.

"Things'll be fine, Elizabeth," Susan said, slinging her arm over Elizabeth's shoulders as they walked, "Like I told you at breakfast, it's probably just your subconscious. You know, because the Gryffindors not being happy with that prat on their team."

"Maybe," Elizabeth said, even though she wasn't sure. "But twice in a week..."

"Don't worry so much," Susan said, "If something does happen, it'll be okay, right? Usually big things are a lot worse than a little twinge, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth gave a sigh, trying to put the feeling out of her mind.

"Come on, let's just enjoy the game," Susan said. They'd reached the Quidditch pitch now and started up the stands, "Funnily enough, I almost want Gryffindor to win. Just to spite Smith."

Elizabeth snorted. Zacharias Smith was the bane of Hufflepuffs, as far as she was concerned. After how he kept up his smear campaign through half of his commentary in the Gryffindor-Slytherin match, she would love to see him beat. Even if it did mean her House losing a Quidditch match.

Elizabeth doubted it would be easy, however. As she watched the two teams come out onto the pitch, she could see even from her seat that Harry was arguing with McLaggen. Moments later, both teams were shooting into the air, chasing the Quaffle Madam Hooch threw into the air.

"And that's Smith of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle," came a familiar voice over the speakers that made Elizabeth and Susan both choke, "He did the commentary last time, of course, and Ginny Weasley flew into him, I think probably on purpose, it looked like it. Smith was being quite rude about Gryffindor, I expect he regrets that now he's playing them—oh, look, he's lost the Quaffle, Ginny took it from him, I do like her, she's very nice..."

"Luna?" Susan asked in disbelief, "They let _Luna Lovegood_ commentate?"

Elizabeth laughed brightly at that, leaning against the railing of the stands to try and get a look at the commentator box. Unfortunately, she couldn't see it from where she was. Though she had to imagine Professor McGonagall had to be wondering why she'd made this choice now.

"Oh, now that big Hufflepuff player's got the Quaffle from her," Luna was saying, "I can't remember his name, it's something like Bibble—no, Buggins—"

"It's Cadwallader!" Professor McGonagall shouted. Laughter echoed through the stands.

Elizabeth's laughter died, however, when she saw McLaggen abandoning his post at the Gryffindor goal posts to yell at Ginny. Because of this, Cadwallader had an unblocked shot to score. Harry hadn't been pleased with it either, flying towards McLaggen and yelling at him.

"And Harry Potter's now having an argument with his Keeper," Luna said as calmly as commenting on the weather, "I don't think that'll help him find the Snitch, but maybe it's a clever ruse..."

If it weren't for Luna's commentary, Elizabeth would have been more worried during the match. Instead of talking about the match, Luna was instead talking about the shape of the clouds in the sky, or weird diseases that the Quidditch players might be suffering from.

"I think it's quite clear that Smith has a case of Loser's Lurgy," Luna said thirty minutes into the match, "It explains so well why he can't seem to keep his hold on the Quaffle—"

"Seventy-forty to Hufflepuff!" McGonagall called into the megaphone.

"Is it, already?" Luna asked, "Oh, look! The Gryffindor Keeper's got hold of one of the Beater's bats."

Elizabeth turned quickly towards the Gryffindor goals to see McLaggen wasn't even there now. He had the bat from one of Gryffindor's Beaters and was swinging it around in the air. The bat collided with a Bludger flying his way, sending the Bludger back across the field...And right into Harry's head.

Several people screamed as Harry fell from his broom. Elizabeth immediately took off down the stairs towards the field, then towards her friend lying still on the ground.

Madam Hooch had already blown the whistle for a time out by the time Elizabeth reached the bottom of the stairs. Elizabeth rushed over to Harry as the Gryffindor team all landed around him, as well as Madam Hooch.

"It's his own fault, he should have been paying attention and dodge the Bludger," one was saying and Elizabeth knew instantly it was McLaggen.

"If you'd been doing your own damn job instead of everyone else's, he wouldn't have had to!" Ginny shot back.

"Is Harry okay?" Susan asked and Elizabeth looked over her shoulder, unaware that her friend had followed her. She was surprised to see Susan looked pale. Susan, usually so calm and collected, looked pale and sick.

"Broken nose for sure," Madam Hooch said, "And most likely a concussion. He won't be finishing the match."

"But without a Seeker—" Dean started, but Ginny cut in.

"We can do it," she said, though she didn't sound too confident, "Ireland won the World Cup a few years ago despite not catching the Snitch."

"What about Harry?" one of the Beaters asked—Elizabeth didn't know his name.

"Elizabeth and I can take him up," Susan said and Elizabeth noticed her voice was strained.

Madam Hooch agreed—though a bit reluctantly—and Summoned a stretcher. Once Harry was secure on it, Susan and Elizabeth started towards the castle at a run with the stretcher floating ahead of them. By the time they came to the doors leading to the Hospital Wing, both girls were out of breath. Ron was sitting up on his bed, face pale as he watched Susan and Elizabeth come in with Harry. Madam Pomfrey hurried over, then immediately ordered the girls to leave.

"But—" Elizabeth started.

"Out! Now!"

Elizabeth and Susan hurried out, both trying to catch their breath as they leaned against the hallway wall. Elizabeth could faintly hear Luna's commentary, though she wasn't paying much attention. She kept glancing to Susan next to her. Susan, always so calm and under control. Now, she kept trying to run a hand through her hair, despite the fact it was in a braid. Her face was tight and pale and she kept looking to the closed Hospital Wing doors.

Elizabeth couldn't blame Susan for being upset. She was upset herself. Harry was her friend and she hated seeing him lying on that stretcher, face bloody. It reminded her far too much of their invasion at the Ministry of Magic. How everyone had come so close to dying...

"He'll be fine," Susan spoke up, snapping Elizabeth from her thoughts. Elizabeth looked up and noticed Susan was staring at the door still. "He gets injured in Quidditch all the time. He lost all the bones in his arm once."

"Yeah," Elizabeth said, taking a deep breath. Susan was right. She shouldn't be so worried. Ron got over his poison just fine, and Harry had been through worse. He'd be back to normal within hours.

"What do you want to bet McLaggen is dead by the end of the day?" Susan turned from the doors finally, grinning at Elizabeth. Though it seemed strained. Susan was always the one cheering up others, even at expense of herself.

Though Elizabeth wondered why Susan was so worked up this time. Sure, she'd been becoming closer to the others over the past few months, but she hadn't been like this over Ron. Even though his condition had been a lot worse.

Slowly, the answer seemed to click together for Elizabeth. Susan had indeed been spending more time with them. She was always quick to jump into conversations with them—mainly Harry—and was often curious about how he was doing. She remembered the night before, the way the two of them were going on about Quidditch and the smile Susan had on her face. A type of smile she hadn't seen in some time...

"You really like Harry, don't you?" Elizabeth asked, "I mean, _really_ like him."

"It's called a crush," Susan said, rolling her eyes, "And took you long enough to realize."

Elizabeth felt herself flush. Susan rarely got snappy. Usually when she was ill or worried.

"Sorry," Susan muttered when she realized what she had said. Again, she tried to run a hand unsuccessfully through her hair. "Yeah, I do like him. A lot."

"Then why don't you say something?" Elizabeth asked.

Susan snorted at that.

"That's hilarious, coming from you," she said, smirking at Elizabeth. "What about you and Neville?"

"I do _not_ fancy Neville, that's a huge difference," Elizabeth said a bit too quickly, "Besides, that's not the point. Why don't you talk to Harry about it?"

"Because from what you've said, he's got a lot on his plate already," Susan said, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the wall again, looking towards the closed doors. "I don't want to complicate things more. Then there's, well..."

Susan motioned to Elizabeth and it took her a moment to realize what she meant.

"Oh..." Elizabeth said slowly, coming over to her friend, "Susan, I don't care if you fancy Harry. Well, I do care but not the way you think. We both agreed that we just did not work as a couple. That means we're happy with the other dating whoever they want."

"It'd just be a bit weird though, wouldn't it?" Susan asked. Elizabeth shrugged, putting an arm around her friend.

"Weirder things have happened," she said.

"Name one."

"I'm a Seer. Sirius Black is Harry's godfather and a good friend of mine. There's a magical room in this castle that changes depending on what someone needs. There's a giant squid in our school's lake, despite the fact they're sea creatures—"

"All right, I get the point," Susan said as she pushed Elizabeth away, though she was grinning.

"So will you talk to him?" Elizabeth asked.

Susan sighed, shaking her head.

"I already told you, he has enough going on," she said, "I don't know exactly what, and I know you can't tell me, but I have the feeling it's something that doesn't need complicating—"

"Stuff being complicated has never stopped Harry before."

The two heard footsteps and both turned to see Hermione hurrying towards them, Ginny—still in her Quidditch robes—right behind.

"Ginny?" Elizabeth asked, "What about—"

"Over," Ginny said bitterly, "Smith got the Snitch and Hufflepuff won by a landslide. I wanted to check on Harry."

"Madam Pomfrey is looking after him," Susan said.

As if summoned by her name, Madam Pomfrey opened the doors again and told them they could visit briefly, but Harry would be asleep for some time. They thanked her quickly and headed in and Elizabeth saw Ron was sitting cross-legged on his bed, looking rather put out.

"Madam Pomfrey wouldn't tell me what happened," Ron said, "And Luna's commentary only gives so much. Something about McLaggen hitting Harry with a Bludger?"

"That's pretty much what happened," Ginny said as she sat down on the edge of her brother's bed.

"And McLaggen isn't dead yet, why?" Ron growled.

"Because if anyone gets that honor, it should be Harry," Susan answered before anyone could as she plopped herself down in a chair.

"Honestly!" Hermione said, glaring at the others, "You can't answer everything with a fight—"

"We're not talking about a fight," Ron said, "We're talking about clobbering McLaggen."

"Which is well-deserved," Susan added. Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but Elizabeth cut in first.

"Look, Harry's fine, that's what matters," she said.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'fine'," Ginny said, "He nearly missed the match today."

"What're you talking about?" Ron asked, "He left here early enough that he'd have been down at the pitch in plenty of time."

"I didn't have time to ask," Ginny said, "He came rushing in with barely enough time to get changed to his robes."

Elizabeth frowned, glancing over at her friend. She had a strong feeling that whatever Harry had been up to had to do with Malfoy. Sure, she agreed that Malfoy was up to something. That was clear. But Harry's obsession over what that 'something' was was beginning to get out of hand. Maybe she should talk to him about it when she could.

She didn't get a chance, however, as Susan spent most of Sunday with them in the hospital wing, visiting with Harry and Ron. On Monday, just before breakfast, the two boys were released with a clean bill of health. Susan came with Elizabeth to meet the boys and found Hermione waiting at the Hospital Wing as well.

When Harry and Ron came out into the hallway, Harry seemed both surprised and very pleased to see Susan. Elizabeth couldn't help but grin as they began to walk down towards the Great Hall, especially when she noticed how close Susan was walking to Harry. The fact that Harry didn't seem to mind at all only made the situation better. Elizabeth hadn't noticed it before but now that she did, she had to admit it was a bit obvious. She just needed to convince Susan to talk to Harry about it. Or maybe convince Harry to talk to Susan...Trying to talk to Susan would probably bring up Neville again.

Privately, she knew Susan was right. Elizabeth had tried to fight it for months now, but the more time went on, the more clear it became. Being around Neville was different. She always found herself looking forward to her time with him. She wanted to make Neville smile. She loved to watch him work in the greenhouses. She was determined that he was going to see what an amazing young man he was...

In all honesty, she definitely felt something towards Neville. Even though she was willing to admit it to herself, she wasn't quite sure she was ready to say so to others. Things had been lucky with Harry when their relationship hadn't worked out. She doubted things would go that well twice. Even if things felt much different this time than it had with Harry.

"Harry!" came a familiar voice.

The group turned to see Luna hurrying towards them, Helene right behind. Though when Helene saw Ron, her face went red and she turned and hurried down the nearest staircase. Ron didn't look at all happy about this, his gaze locked on the spot where Helene had disappeared.

"I went to the hospital wing to find you," Luna was saying as she tried to find something in her bag, "But they said you'd left...Here, hold this please."

Ron was jerked from his daze of staring after Helene as Luna shoved an assortment of items—including a green onion and some sort of mushroom—into his hands and continued to dig in her bag. She finally pulled out a small, rolled up piece of parchment and handed it to Harry with a smile. Elizabeth recognized it instantly. Harry had a lesson with Dumbledore coming up. Elizabeth noticed Susan raising an eyebrow but she didn't say anything. Susan knew there were some things they couldn't talk about.

Ron's good mood from being released from the hospital wing seemed to be gone now. He was more sullen as they made their way on down to the Great Hall and his mood only seemed to get worse when they reached the entrance hall and found Lavender Brown waiting at the base of the stairs.

"Why didn't you tell me you were getting out today?" Lavender demanded.

Elizabeth and the others took their cue to hurry away, leaving Ron with his angry girlfriend. Hermione and Harry headed on to the Gryffindor table while Susan and Elizabeth went to Hufflepuff. A few minutes later, Elizabeth saw Ron and Lavender enter and sit together, though neither looked happy.

 **xxxxx**

Elizabeth was up late that night. She knew Harry had a lesson with Dumbledore and she wanted to wait and find out what he had learned about Voldemort this time.

It was after midnight before Harry's voice finally came from the small two-way mirror. Elizabeth had been laying on one of the couches in front of the fireplace, alone as everyone else had gone to bed. Hearing Harry, Elizabeth sat up and snatched the mirror, holding it up to look in it to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione in miniature staring back at her. They'd apparently propped the mirror against a book.

"What did you learn?" Elizabeth asked.

"Voldemort is the reason we've never had a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for more than a year," Harry said. Even in the small mirror, Elizabeth could see Ron flinch at Voldemort's name.

"How?" Hermione asked, sounding curious, "I mean, he can't actually be behind what happened every year—"

"Dumbledore thinks he put some sort of jinx on the job," Harry said, "Because he was turned down for the position himself."

All four fell silent as they let that sentence sink in. Elizabeth wasn't even too sure she had heard Harry correctly.

"You-Know-Who wanted to...teach?" Ron asked, sounding as surprised as Elizabeth felt.

"No, Dumbledore doesn't think so," Harry said, "He thinks Voldemort was after the position for access to the castle. He was looking for something."

"What?" Elizabeth asked, leaning forward.

"He says he has a theory, but he's waiting to tell me," Harry said, "Until I get the memory from Slughorn."

"Then you should be focusing on that," Hermione said instantly.

"Did you see any other memories?" Elizabeth asked. Harry sighed.

"Yeah, one other, from nearly ten years before he was turned down for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was working at Borgin and Burkes—"

" _What?_ " Elizabeth asked in disbelief. She couldn't imagine Voldemort standing behind a cash register in a dark store, smiling pleasantly at customers and helping others.

"Yeah, I was surprised too," Harry said, "Dumbledore took me into another memory, where Voldemort met with this old woman named Hepzibah Smith. Voldemort had apparently befriended her because she had a house full of these old artifacts. It turned out that she'd somehow come into possession of Slytherin's locket, the one that belonged to Voldemort's mother."

Harry paused, an odd look on his face as he was staring at Elizabeth. He took a deep breath and continued.

"She also had a cup," he said, "A gold one, with a badger on it."

Elizabeth felt her chest tighten and her eyes go to the portrait hanging over the fireplace. Helga Hufflepuff currently wasn't in the portrait, but she knew the cup Harry was talking about. She saw it every day when the Founder of Hufflepuff was visible over the fireplace, toasting to students with the very cup Harry was talking about.

"She had Helga Hufflepuff's cup?" she asked softly.

"She said it was a family heirloom, passed down through generations," Harry said, "Voldemort took an interest in it and the locket. He killed her, Hepzibah Smith, and stole the locket and cup. Then he disappeared for a decade."

Elizabeth was trembling, still staring at the empty portrait over the fire. She hated the thought of Voldemort in possession of something so important—especially to her House. There were always stories about that cup. Legends that it had the ability to boost the effect of any potion poured into it and that it would always be full when the user wanted it to be. Stories about how it had once been safe in the hands of descendants of Hufflepuff herself until one day, it had simply disappeared.

And now, she knew what happened to it. Voldemort had stolen it. Elizabeth hated that thought. She hated the idea that Voldemort had something so treasured, so valuable. There was no telling what he wanted with that cup and Elizabeth wasn't at all sure she wanted to find out.


End file.
